Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly or any of its characters. Nor do I own the concept of love.

Thanks: I would like to thank KeyLimePie14 for being my Beta on this project.

A/N Hello. I wrote this for Christmas, but it ended up taking quite a while to get it done. I am just never really satisfied with my work. This has a companion piece that I wrote involving Freddie and Sam called iCount Down. It can be read as connected to this story, or separate, but is not needed to be read in order to understand this piece.

This is a one-shot that was split into two for ease of reading.I hope that you read this, and review.

I hope that you enjoy this, and decide to read more of my work in the future.


iChristmas Eve-

The snow crackled and crunched under her feet as she walked down the sidewalk. The snowfall had been light that year, as it had primarily every year. Nice, white, and fluffy, but not enough to impact traffic conditions. The walkway was coated in a fine dusting of it as she went along her way. She absolutely loved the way it sounded as she stepped on it. Crunch, crunch, crunch, she thought as she made her way through the chill morning air. She had wanted to get up early and spend the morning with any last minute shopping ideas. She usually came up with ideas the day of, and spent it scrambling about trying to get everything set and perfect. Last year, it was matching holiday socks for everyone. The year before, it was baking gingerbread cookies to decorate later that night. This year, they would paint ornaments for the tree; Spencer would love doing that. She tucked a brown lock behind her ear. She had also wanted to pick up an extra last minute gift for someone. A certain someone, in fact. She had seen him gawking at it when they were passing by a camera store the previous day.

...

He had stopped in his tracks, eyes aglow, staring at some new type of lens in the window case.

"Oh, man. That is the coolest lens, ever." His breath fogged up the glass, and he wiped it off before pressing his face against the window, again.

She raised an eyebrow to his actions, highly amused. "What makes that lens different from any of your other lenses?"

"Are you kidding? It's better than all my other ones combined. Having this lens would make filming iCarly so much better. It would be epic."

"Epic?"

"Yes, epic." Turning back to the display, he rested his forehead against it once again and let out a big sigh. "I have to have it. I just wish I could afford it."

"Well," she said, while she grabbed his shoulders from behind, "you will just have to wait and save up for it." She began to push him down the way by his shoulders, leading him home.

"How can I save up for it if my mom only gives me eight dollars a month?"

"Well, she just doesn't want you getting on a bus and running away, that's all."

"You could help me, you know." He looked back over his shoulder at her; a smirk ran across his lips. "We could run away together."

She rolled her eyes at the remark, and then gave him a slight shove. "Freddie."

"Sorry."

...

She had made a mental note that day to return to the shop and purchase the lens. She did not know what was so special about it, and very much did not like the price, but could not resist getting it for him. She merely chalked it up to his 'boyish charm', and left it at that. Due to that logic, there she was the next morning, going to the camera shop to purchase the gift for him. She still could not understand why she was walking all the way over there to get something that he had more than a million of. She told herself that it was because she was going out to get some knickknacks for everyone, and that it was on the way. She really, really tried, very much so, to convince herself that that was the reason for the venture outdoors. She had done all the other shopping for things; all that was left was the lens. She trudged along until she reached the little shop.

Inside, she spoke with the man at the counter; he was holding a phone to his ear as he finished telling someone named Carla that he would remember the turkey for dinner. He introduced himself as Fredrick, and began to tell her about all the Christmas Eve sales that they were having. Politely interrupting him, she gestured to the display by the window. He accompanied her over to the glass, telling her that the majority of those items were on sale as well. Pointing at the very one that Freddie had been staring so longingly at, she asked how much its price had been reduced. Unfortunately, that lens was the only one there still at full price. The owner explained that it was not on sale due to the fact that it was the best model of lens they had there. Not even hesitating for a moment, she told him that she would take one.

She left the store smiling, the box held tightly against her chest. When the lens had been purchased, the manager told her that her boyfriend would love it. He must have seen them the other day and assumed that they were together. She never corrected him. She knew that he was going to love it. She hoped, that when he opened the wrapping and saw that she had bought it especially for him, she would get to experience seeing his eyes gleam again. Maybe, if she were lucky, he would give her that look he had especially for her.

It had been a while since he had really given her one of those looks. That look he used to give her when he would pour his heart out to her. Each time he had done that, she would look into his eyes and see something. It was unbridled, unconditional, love. It was his way of saying that he would always be there for her, no matter what. It always was, and she had thought that it always would be. It was quite possible, that all those rejections he had suffered at her hands had finally got to him. He may have just given up on ever having a chance with her at all. Even the times in which he did say anything flirtatious, for example the other day, lacked a sense of seriousness to it. He just did not seem to mean it anymore. The smile faded from her lips, and she began to trudge along again.

Eventually, she reached Bushwell Plaza. Opening the door, she was hit full force with the heat rushing out of the lobby, and the ranting of a deranged doorman. She was not in the mood to listen to Lewbert at the moment. As she made her way across the room, she could hear him yelling about something. Most likely, for getting footprints on his precious mopped floor, or for just being in his line of sight in the first place. She merely relegated the noise to the background, which was much nicer than actually dealing with him. Pressing the button for the lift, she waited for the doors to open. Suddenly deciding that she would rather take the stairs, she spun around as the doors finally did open and began her way up the steps. She thought that she heard Lewbert scream about playing with the elevator. She really just did not care whatever it was he was saying. All she knew at that second was that she needed more time to think things through. By the time that she got to her floor, things had not become any clearer. Crossing the threshold, she saw a tall, lanky figure placing boxes under a large evergreen.

"Hey, Spencer." She sighed as she closed the door behind her.

"Hey, little sister." Dusting his hands off after the obvious exertion of placing presents under the tree, he noticed her expression. He developed an inquisitive one of his own. "Why so glum?"

"Look, I'm not glum."

"You sure do look glum."

"Forget it, all right?" She then stomped her foot for emphasis.

"All right, fine. Say, what's that?"

Glancing down at where he was pointing, she saw that she still had Freddie's present clutched to her chest. "Oh, it's nothing. I'll see you later, okay?" She had made it halfway up the staircase before Spencer called to her.

"When are Freddie and Sam coming over?"

She replied as she sprinted up to her bedroom, "Around six, I think."

Quickly shutting the door behind her, she flopped onto the soft mattress and pressed her face into the pillow. Turning over, she lay there, staring up at the ceiling. Still pressing the camera lens to herself, she wondered again why she put the effort into getting Freddie something like it. She closed her eyes, deciding to take a nap before her best friends came over. Behind her eyelids, images of the past began to dance. It was probably just his 'boyish charm' that made her do it. She just happened to notice it that time. That was all it was. Really, that was all it was. Although, said charm had been becoming more noticeable to her in the past year. In reality, she had begun to notice a great many things about him in the last few months.

...

She had been reaching for a bowl on the top shelf of her cupboard one morning, intending to have a nice bowl of cereal before the other two came over to discuss iCarly ideas. Struggling to reach the only clean bowl in the apartment, she willed her outstretched arm to go just a few inches further. Why does Spencer never clean the dishes when I tell him to? He always puts them so high, too. She heard the front door open and shut gently, followed by heavy footfalls going across the living room.

"Hey, is anyone here?"

"In the kitchen!" She grunted, still unable to reach her goal. Up on her toes, she managed to touch the bowl. Just for it to slide further back into the cupboard. She let out a whine, "Stupid semi-circle shaped container thingy." Reaching again to no avail, she felt something behind her.

"Here, let me get that for you."

She saw a hand stretch passed hers to clamp onto the rim of the bowl. His body pressed gently against her back. He probably was not doing it on purpose, but she felt her body tense up nonetheless. The bowl was brought down and placed on the counter in front of her.

"By the way, Carly, it's actually a hemisphere."

His voice was lower than it usually was, in the form of a whisper, with a slight trembling present. She felt the hot breath on the nape of her neck. It felt strange, resting heavily against her skin. Or was it some other thing weighing down on her that made her so uneasy? They stood like that for a moment, neither one daring to move. Was it because they did not want to move, or was it because they were just far too afraid to move? Neither of the two teens really knew the answer. They were waiting for the other to make the first move. She could feel his hips pressed up to hers, and for some odd reason it actually excited her. It was then that she decided to put a stop to it.

Whirling around to face him, she had to tilt her head up a little in order to stare him in the eyes. Apparently, he had got taller and she had never noticed. Her spin had caught him off guard, causing him to take a surprised step backwards. Eyes connected, each tried their best to figure out what the other was thinking. It was not easy. She saw in his eyes the things that he would always tell her. That she was beautiful, intelligent, fun, exciting, wonderful, and every other word there was to describe a woman. There was love in his eyes, but there was also something else. She could not really determine what it was.

She likened it to a desire, to… something. Possibly, maybe, perhaps? Lust? No, that couldn't be it. Then again, they were no longer children. In fact, Freddie was becoming a man, and quite a man at that. She would never admit it to anyone, but she too had felt the tugging of feelings a little less than pure. She felt a tugging at that moment as well, but as with every other aspect of their relationship, it was different. Just like he was, different. Finally gathering the courage to take some sort of action, she responded.

"You're here early."

"I got all my things done already, so I thought I'd drop by."

"But it's only eight."

"Actually," he smirked, "it's eleven. Either you slept in this morning or you were trying to get that bowl for a lot longer than you thought."

Cheeks slightly tinted red, she turned away from his gaze. "How'd you get in here, anyway? The door was locked."

"It wasn't when I got here."

She shook her head. "Spencer. He must have forgotten to lock it. Sheesh, what if someone breaks in?"

"Easy, then I'd protect you."

Eyes rolled, she heaved a sigh. "Yeah, right. Freddie, you couldn't fight off criminals if your life depended on it."

"Don't you roll your eyes at me," he scolded.

"I can roll my eyes at whomever I want, thank you very much. That doesn't mean that I did it to you, or anything."

"You so did."

"Prove it."

"Never mind." He stuffed his hands in his pockets. Backing up, he leant against the kitchen island. "Besides, you are right, Carly."

"About what?"

His brown eyes had a shine to them that she did not recall ever seeing before. "I couldn't fight off criminals, not even to save my own life." He stood up, straighter than he was before. "But, I could. To save yours."

She broke eye contact with him in order to study the countertop. She began to draw circles with her finger on the smooth surface. "Freddie…"

He took a step towards her again. "Carly, I…" His voice quivered once again. "I'm going to the studio to check on the equipment, make sure that it's working. You should go ahead and eat your breakfast."

She looked back up to see him gone; sounds of his footsteps fading up the stairs.

...

A gentle rapping echoed in her ears, and she gradually sat up. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she looked over at her door, from whence the rapping came.

"Who is it?"

"Freddie."

It took a moment for her to register who it was. Groggily, her head swayed back and forth. She blinked a few times before her eyes shot open. It was Freddie. Looking down, she saw that the box was still held in her arms. Scrambling out of bed, she searched for a place to hide it.

"Carly, are you okay in there?"

"Yes! Just a second!" She ran around in a circle, before deciding to just shove the lens under her bed. A place as safe as any, right? She tidied herself up a bit and combed fingers through her hair. "Come in!"

The door opened, and the brown haired boy stepped in. "What's up?"

Clasping her hands behind her back, she assumed a stance of what she thought was innocence. "Nothing. I'm not hiding a Christmas present for you, or anything."

He looked confused. "I… I never said you were."

She wanted to change the subject. "Aren't you here a little early?" She looked over at her bedside clock. "I mean, there are still a few hours until dinner."

"Yeah, well, I finished all the decorating and holiday stuff with my mom. So, I thought I'd come by a little early."

"Freddie, you always come earlier than you're supposed to."

He stiffened a bit, his cheeks red. "What? What do you mean by that? What have you heard?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

With a clearing of the throat, he seemed to calm down. "Nevermind. So, do you want to, maybe, hang out or something for a while? It's still pretty early in the day. It hasn't even turned dark out yet."

"Sure," She went over to check herself in front of the mirror. "I'll be right down, okay?"

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll meet you downstairs."

She came down approximately twenty minutes later, ready to go. Freddie was there, sitting on the couch. He turned and looked over his shoulder when he heard her come down the stairs. He got off the couch and adjusted his coat.

"Did you change clothes?"

She draped her winter coat over the back of the couch. "Obviously." She gestured to her new outfit.

"That's why you took so long?"

"Well, I needed a different look to go out in."

"We're just hanging out for a while. You didn't have to change."

"What, you don't like my ensemble?"

"No, of course I do. I think you look great."

"Do I detect a hint of sarcasm, Mr. Benson?"

"Oh, not at all. Not. At. All."

"By the way, did you call Sam yet? To see if she wants to come hang out, too?"

He walked behind the couch to stand next to her. "I called her before I came over. She said she was busy, I think she was taking her cat to get a picture taken with Santa Claus. She said that she'd see us at dinner, though."

"You asked her to hang out before you asked me?"

"I just figured that I'd call her, then walk over here and ask you." A thought seemed to cross his mind. "Wait, are you possibly jealous, Ms. Shay?"

"What?" An incredulous expression appeared on her face. "I'm not jealous." She picked up her coat, and was about to put it on when Freddie took it out of her hands.

"Here, let me get that for you." He held it as she put her arms through, she buttoned it up. Always the gentleman. Her lips curved into a small smile.

"Spencer?" she called, to see if he were still in the apartment.

"I'm in the bathtub!" He stuck his head into the living room for all to see.

"Weren't you just in the bathtub?" Freddie asked.

"I was." He showed them his back scrubber.

"Spencer."

"Yeah, Carly?"

"Are you wearing a towel?"

He looked down for a moment. "No, I am not."

She closed her eyes. "Will you remember to put the turkey in the oven, please?"

"Sure thing! You two have fun… alone." Head disappearing, the bathroom door shut.

"Let's get going." She turned towards the front door.

Freddie went ahead and opened it for her. "Ladies first." He bowed and gestured for her to proceed.

She responded with a "Thank you, kind sir." He followed close behind and shut the door.

"A picture with Santa?"

Freddie nodded his head. "Yep. That's what she said."

"Poor, poor, Santa."

...

Above the city, there was a large mass of cloud blanketing the entire sky. Below, two figures walked along a way. She was there, with Freddie beside her. There were not many things to do on Christmas Eve. Most of the stores were closed, those that were still open soon would be. They walked along, not really saying anything to each other. He seemed to be enjoying her company, and she his. It was one of those times of quietness, lacking any awkwardness about it at all. An ambulance rushed by on the street next to them. Its siren sounding, its lights flashing. She wondered what had happened. Another followed soon after. Then a third. Looking at each other, they both shrugged, and went about their way.

At his suggestion, they headed over to the park, which was always open. The trees were bare, and the path was clear of any snow. The park seemed to be completely deserted. She did not mind that fact very much at all. Actually, a small part of her had been hoping that they would be spending time alone on Christmas Eve. She did not expect to be spending so much time with him, however, but it was all right with her. They eventually came across a park bench, on which they decided to rest. They had been walking for quite a while, after all, and a nice sit would do them well.

She sat there next to him, pondering what it was, exactly, that she felt for him. For so long it had been friendship in response to his unrequited love. Now, though, things had seemed to have changed. What precisely the change consisted of, and where it was headed, she had no idea. She turned to watch him sitting beside her. He was himself staring off into the distance, warm breath escaping his lips in wisps of white. She in turn, found herself staring at those lips of his. She began to think to herself how soft they seemed, how tender, how kissable. Eyes widening in realization of the thoughts currently flowing through her mind, her head whipped around to look off into the distance as well.

Noticing her jerking motion, he turned to check on her. "Hey, is everything all right?"

"Oh, just a little cold, I guess. That's all." Her voice shook due to nerves, but sounded as if due to chill.

Freddie seemed to hesitate little as he wrapped an arm around her. Using both hands, he began to rub up and down her arms. Appreciating the gesture, she knew that it was only making things worse. The cold really was not the issue, after all. Her cheeks began to redden as her body heated up. Whether it was the rubbing of her arms, or the thoughts running through her head, either way she was sure that it was because of him. She felt herself being pulled from the park bench, tugged along by some force. Freddie led her excitedly, to where she did not know. She merely stumbled behind him, trying her best not to trip herself up. The hard concrete path soon gave way to soft white snow, the change in terrain causing her even more difficulty in keeping up. When they got to a large clearing, he let go of her and started gathering snow into his hands. He came up to her and proceeded to dump the fluff upon her head.

Shrieking, she attempted to dust herself off. "Freddie! What are you doing?"

Smiling, he scooped up more snow into his hands, flinging it at her. "I just figured that the best way to warm you up would be a little exercise. That's all."

Snow covering her entire front, she looked at him with her dark eyes. Which were the only parts still visible on her. Shaking her head, she began to move towards him. "Freddie Benson, you are so dead."

He began to back up, smile still on his face, then turned and ran. She rushed after him, snow in hand, throwing it at his back. He stopped and dug his hands into the white powder, heaving it at her when she was near enough. Squealing, she shielded herself, but soon started throwing mounds at him as well. The snow was flying all about as her mind began to wander again.

...

The sun was bright, and the sand warm, as they ran out onto the beach. Freddie, Sam, and she had decided that it was a good time to take to the water. They had laid down their beach towels and bags, and began to shed their outer clothes. She had chosen to wear a nice, sensible two-piece. Neither too extravagant, nor too skimpy. She hoped that Freddie would notice, and maybe give her more than a little attention. He took off his shirt, showing that he had apparently been working out. As she admired his physique, she realized that she had the desire to touch him. She quickly hid her hands behind her back. Crouching down to place her clothes in her bag, she turned back to see him with his eyes wide.

Tracing his line of sight, she saw where his focus lay. Sam, while shedding her outer garments, revealed to them her choice of a string bikini as beachwear. They both watched as she carelessly tossed her pants and shirt on the sand, next to her towel. Stretching her arms over her head, she showed off her slim muscles. Sam seemed completely unaware of the effect she was producing on the nearest male. Basking in all her glory, Carly had no doubt that it was nigh impossible to divert Freddie's gaze. She felt a little annoyed, and embarrassed that she had basically just been outdone by her best friend. She did not expect Sam to wear something like that. She had expected an old one-piece swimsuit that would be rather unspectacular. Something more 'Sammish' in quality. Instead, she looked like a swimsuit model. What was Sam doing wearing something like that in the first place? It wasn't as if she were trying to impress anyone, right? Carly looked down at herself, and felt a little chubby. Maybe she should have started working out.

"Okay, let's get going!" Sam cranked her arm around in circles. "What are you guys staring at? Let's go!"

She ran off into the water. Freddie followed behind, grin on his face. More like following her behind, Carly thought, pursing her lips. Taking a breath to calm herself, she ran into the water as well. By the time she had got to them, they were already rough-housing in the water. They were yelling and calling one another names. Sam would dunk his head in the water; Freddie would pop up gasping for air. Freddie would knock her over; Sam would pull his leg out from under him. She lounged back in the water, thinking that they were just being the normal Freddie and Sam she knew. That was until Sam jumped onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. She thought that it was Sam wanting a piggyback ride, then Sam wrapped her legs around his waist. A wrestling move, perhaps? Her hopes were dashed when the blond subtly nuzzled into his neck. Carly could not believe it. Her best friend, moving in on her other best friend? That was not possible. Sam tightened her grip around Freddie, causing him to sway a bit. Now she's pushing her… her chest up against his back? She looked down again; she knew that even if she were getting curvier everyday, Sam still had more to work with. That must be where all the food she eats is going to. Tossing Sam off his back to regain balance, the lone male of the group seemed completely oblivious to her actions. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Carly spun around. It was a boy, trying to get her attention.

"Hey,"

"Um, hi." She had a feeling she knew what he wanted.

"I was just thinking maybe you wanna go hang out or something." He flashed what was probably his most seductive smile.

She knew what he was driving at, but she was not interested. He was tall, and cute, and any other day she would have jumped at the chance. Not this time. Granted, she was one that liked attention, but she just was not interested. It seemed like the only attention she was craving was being given to another. She quickly, but politely, declined the offer.

"Sorry, but I'm kind of hanging out with my friends right now." She gave him one of her sweet smiles.

"Looks like they're doing fine without you. But if I had a girlfriend like that, man, I'd…"

Not the right thing to say.

"Look," She poked him with a finger. "I'm not interested, just go, okay?"

"Fine," He put his hands up in defence. "forget it."

She did not even notice when the boy walked away. When it was just the two of them, Freddie and Sam did really look like a couple. She looked over to see Sam floating in the water, while Freddie stood over her. She decided to make a move. With an increasing jealousy and feeling of inferiority that she herself was unaware of, she marched up behind him and splashed his back with water.

Jumping in surprise, Freddie turned to see who had assaulted him. "Carly! You scared me!" He smiled his perfect smile to her. "Where have you been, anyway?"

"Oh, just fending off an army of boys asking me to go out with them." She joked.

He snorted. "That doesn't surprise me at all." In response, he received another splash of water, this time to the face. "Hey! You want a water fight? Because, I'll give you one."

"I can't let Sam have you all to herself, now, can I?" She splashed him once again.

Grinning, he approached her. She, meanwhile, started to back up. Charging, he began to toss water at her. Shrieking, she ran away from him, and the battle had begun. They chased each other around, splashing and taunting one another. Eyes meeting frequently, she could feel a little bit of energy coursing between them. It was different from the rough-housing that she had witnessed earlier. It was more gentle and sweet, but just as playful. As she ran from him once again, she felt his arms wrap around her from behind. She felt his chest against her back, and her heart began to race. He might have said something about 'finally catching her', but the sound of her heart beating drowned out everything. She struggled to free herself, but there was practically nothing she could do. The only thing she could do was flail helplessly in his strong grasp and cuddle up to him. It seemed to her as if she fit perfectly in his arms. The words 'made for each other' echoed in her head.

The next thing she knew, he had scooped her up in his arms. He was a great deal stronger than he was a few years prior. His arms were a great deal larger than they were before, and she could feel his muscles pressed up against her. It made her quiver. Lewd thoughts momentarily filled her mind. Face reddening, she tried to shake the risqué images out of her head. She immediately threw her arms around his neck, while he carried her bridal style through the water. She wondered if it felt similar to be carried across the threshold. Embarrassingly, wedding bells were practically ringing in her head before she made them stop. She wasn't ready for that kind of thinking. He lost his balance and they both went plunging into the water. Popping up above the surface, they could not help but start to laugh. They both locked eyes and floated there for a while. The moment was broken by three small words from Freddie.

"Hey, where's Sam?"

The young boy looked around, spotting the aggressive blond on the beach, he pointed her out. "There she is, over by our stuff."

Carly looked over to the shore. There Sam was, sitting on her towel, knees tucked under her chin. She looked forlorn. Freddie, with a worried look on his face, said that he was going to check on her. Carly watched him leave her, to comfort her best friend about whatever was the matter. She lay there, surrounded by the cold chill of the water, as Freddie went and sat down next to Sam. They began talking, and she punched him in the shoulder. Rubbing it sorely, he kept talking to her. Carly saw him grab his towel, draping it around Sam. The usually tough girl looked up at him, and he flashed his uniquely wonderful grin at her. She pushed some hair behind her ear. He put his arm around her to pull her close, and she leant her head against his shoulder.

Carly's eyes widened, and she rushed over to the others. Even with the slight flirting from earlier, Sam was acting strange. She asked what was wrong, to which they responded that everything was all right. It was soon after that, the three decided to clean up and head home. Even with her insistence that they not keep secrets from each other, Carly never found out what it was that Freddie and Sam had talked about that day.