Married by Death
Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly
A/N: This is the sequel challenge posed by Venus Hurricane in her story Goodbye, Freddie. I hope you enjoy this!
-FREDDIE'S REVENGE BEGINS NOW-
Freddie Benson stood in front of the grave belonging to Sam Puckett, she had died five years ago in 2012. Freddie was now twenty five, and he still hadn't fulfilled his promise. Freddie was going to hunt down the man that killed his beloved. He had become a police officer, just like his mother and father, for the sole purpose of finding the man that murdered Sam.
"You'll see, you won't have been taken from me without receiving justice," Freddie said while clenching his fists. "I love you, Sam." In five years, they had received clues and tips relating to the killer. Of course, there was something Freddie would always remember about the killer. The killer had been wearing a muscle shirt with tattoo flames on both arms, going from the wrist to the shoulder. The shoulders had a flaming skull on the outer side of them. Though wearing a Freddy Krueger mask, he could tell that the inside of the left eye hole had a patch, covering the man's eye.
"Why haven't we found a man with that description yet?" Freddie thought while glaring down at the ground. Freddie looked around the empty cemetery, the others hadn't been to Sam's grave in some time. Freddie wasn't sure what became of Carly, she moved elsewhere and they had lost touch. Jake had married her, so he went with her. Currently, Jonah and Valerie were still with him. His mom and dad were retired, they retired just the past month. As for Freddie, he hadn't ever moved on from Sam, and he never married. Of course, at request of Jonah and Valerie, he adopted a little girl that he adored.
"Daddy! Papa!" A voice exclaimed. Freddie turned around and saw Jonah's car parking near the edge of the road, a little girl was waving at him from the window. She was about six years old. Jonah and Valerie exited the car and watched as the girl left and ran toward Freddie. "Papa, we were looking all over for you!" Freddie squatted and held his arms out as his daughter quickly ran into his arms. He laughed and scooped her into the air.
"Megan, what are you doing here?" Freddie said with a small laugh.
"We wanted to find you!" Freddie smiled and kissed Megan's forehead while setting her back on the ground. Megan quickly looked at the grave of Sam and tilted her head to the side. "Daddy, you came to see her?" Jonah and Valerie walked over to him and Jonah placed his hand on Freddie's shoulder.
"You came here again, huh?" Jonah asked in a quiet voice. "Your father said you would be coming here." Freddie nodded and looked at Sam's grave. Valerie sighed and wiped a tear from her face while Jonah wrapped his arm around her waist.
"She wouldn't want you to be depressed," Valerie said in a soft voice. "You've never even had a date since…what had happened. Though, that's understandable." Valerie let out a choked sob and Jonah's face tightened slightly, it was still hard on everyone. Freddie would never be able to move on, not that easily. He knew Megan needed a mother, though. Freddie saw Megan with tears going down her cheek. It was odd, every time Megan came to the grave, she cried. He wasn't sure why that was, she never even knew Sam.
"Are you going to be leaving anytime soon, Freddie?" Freddie merely shrugged his shoulders and Jonah let out a small sigh. "If you want, we can take Megan for ice cream." Megan's eyes beamed and she looked at Jonah with eagerness and begging eyes. Freddie saw this and smiled at her. Of course, the little girl loved Jonah and Valerie, they were her godparents after all. Freddie took one last glance at Sam's grave and frowned, he knew just standing there would get him nowhere fast. "You know, she would want you to move on…" Jonah knew that despite those words, Freddie wouldn't be able to get over Sam.
"I think I'll take Megan for some ice cream," Freddie said with a smile. He loved his daughter, and he always would love her. Megan looked up at Freddie and grinned, she had a large and innocent smile. Jonah and Valerie smiled at Freddie and crossed their arms, they were always pleased to see Freddie interact with his daughter. It seemed like that was the only time he was ever truly happy, was when he was with her. Freddie looked at his watch and smiled. "Megan, do you want to go to the Lane Ice Cream Shoppe? I think Rachel is getting off her shift."
"Ooh, who's Rachel?" Valerie asked while raising her eyebrow. Freddie blinked and shifted his eyes upwards, Megan merely squealed with joy.
"Rachel is a worker at the ice cream shop, she's great with Megan and always treats her to special ice cream. She has a discount. Oh, and no, I'm not going to date her. She understands that too, and realizes that I need time before I'll ever be comfortable to date." Valerie smirked and raised her eyebrow, she knew what that meant, it meant the topic of him dating had come up at one point or another.
"So you've talked about dating, then?" Jonah chuckled and shook his head, Valerie was always trying to push Freddie to get a date. "You must be on friendly terms, then…or should I say, very friendly terms. Who brought up the subject of dating?" Freddie rolled his eyes and chuckled lightly.
"She did, actually. I met her a few years ago."
"If she brought it up, then you should go for it!" Megan shifted her eyes between Freddie and Valerie, she was slowly growing impatient. She wanted ice cream, and she wanted it now. Megan lifted her hand and tugged on Freddie's shirt, causing him to look down at her.
"Daddy, can we go get some ice cream now? I want to see Miss Rachel!"
"Valerie, let's go ahead and let Freddie take his daughter for ice cream," Jonah said while giving Valerie a kiss on the cheek. "Freddie, are you and Megan going to come over for Dinner tonight?"
"Yeah, I'll be there," Freddie responded. Jonah smiled and nodded in response, glad to know Freddie would be stopping by.
"Alright, we'll see you then. Valerie's cooking her scrumptious chicken and rice meal. For desert, she has this delicious cherry pie that she made!" Valerie blushed and glanced to the side.
"Aw, it's not that good," Valerie said while smiling softly. "See you at six, Freddie."
"Bye auntie Valerie and Uncle Jonah!" Megan exclaimed while hugging Jonah and Valerie. The smiled at her and said their goodbyes before leaving to their car and driving off. Megan then took Freddie's arm and pulled. "Come on Papa! We need to go, now!" Freddie laughed lightly and nodded as he took a step away from Sam's grave. He stopped walking when he saw a car driving up, the driver was a young woman with blond hair that rested on her shoulders. It was Rachel. "Daddy, look, it's Miss Rachel!"
"Yeah, I wonder what she's doing here…" Rachel picked up a bouquet and exited the car, she looked over and stopped when she saw Freddie. He waved at her and she gave him a small smile.
"Freddie, Megan, how are you doing?" Rachel asked while walking toward them.
"Yay, you're here!" Megan squealed as she ran toward Rachel and hugged her. Rachel smiled and rubbed the girl's head. "We were about to go to see you!"
"What are you doing here?" Freddie asked while walking over to Rachel and smiling at her. "I don't mean that in an offending way, I just never knew you had relatives here." Rachel glanced at the flowers and back up at Freddie.
"I don't…I've just been coming here every week for the past five years. I felt it was something I wanted to do." Rachel walked toward Sam's grave and knelt beside it, much to Freddie's surprise. He watched as Rachel placed the flowers on her grave and slowly stood up. "It's something I want to do, I just can't find any point in not seeing her every week."
"Rachel…why would you do that for someone you never knew?" Freddie took a step toward Rachel and Megan decided to take another look at the grave. Rachel spoke once more, in a soft and gentle voice.
"Sam Puckett, the best friend and one true love of Freddie Benson…I know she was the one you loved, the one who you were going to devote your life to. Then some bastard took her away from you, and took your happiness away. It's not something I can easily forgive, and I have my own reasons for it." Megan looked up at Rachel and sat two tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Daddy, can I say something?" Megan said while looking at the grave. Freddie nodded and Megan looked up. "I keep dreaming about her." Freddie raised his eyebrow and Megan looked to the grave. "I keep dreaming about her and she keeps saying that she loves you, but wants you to be happy. She says it hurts when you cry over her…it hurts me too, daddy. I think it hurts Miss Rachel also!" Rachel shifted her eyes over and wiped her tears, not sure what Mary was talking about. "Uncle Jonah and Auntie Valerie also seem sad when you cry." Freddie smiled softly at his daughter and let out a small sigh.
"You think so?"
"Daddy, isn't the world still moving?" Megan clasped her hands together and twiddled her thumbs. "My teacher says the world is in constant motion, it never stops, not for a moment. I love you daddy, Auntie Valerie and Uncle Jonah do too!" Freddie paused for a moment, not sure what to say or how to respond. Rachel gave a small smile and turned her head toward Sam's grave, once more, she felt fresh tears escaping her eyes.
"Megan, perhaps you'll understand when you're older," Rachel said while looking at Sam's grave. "When you love someone with all your heart and soul, they become your world. If you make a promise to that person, and you lose that person before the promise is fulfilled, then your world stops turning until that promise is done." Rachel knelt down and tied a wire around the flowers, so they would stay on the grave. "Your dad wants to put her killer away, and until he does that, his world is still."
"I want Daddy to be happy, though!" Megan sniffed and Rachel slowly nodded her head.
"Perhaps one day, he will be truly happy again. Until then, all anyone can really do is stay there for him." Rachel started to position the flowers a bit, making them prettier. "I hope you accept this bouquet, Sam. I never knew you, but I know that I can sympathize with you. Taken away from the man you loved, I would hate that…" Rachel felt her tears falling down her face once more, she shook her head and wiped them away as she slowly stood up. "Maybe one day you'll meet again, Freddie." Rachel smiled at Freddie and he returned her smile.
"Yeah, I'll see her again one day," Freddie said while staring at the tombstone. Rachel nodded and glanced toward the car and back to Freddie.
"So, did you guys want to go get some ice cream or something?" Freddie chuckled and picked Megan up from the ground, he smiled and looked toward Rachel.
"Well I know Megan wanted some, so I guess we'll just have to go. Besides, how could we miss out on the ice cream made by you?" Rachel chuckled lightly and slowly shook her head.
"It's not made by me."
"Well, your family owns the company, so it's close enough." Rachel shrugged and smiled.
"Sure, whatever you say. Go on, I'll catch up with you in a bit."
"Okay…" Freddie carried Megan to his car and opened the door. Rachel watched as Megan hurried into the backseat and put her seatbelt on, after several reminders by Freddie. He was always making sure Megan would be safe. He got into the driver's seat and started the car, he looked over and waved at Rachel before driving off. Rachel smiled and looked to the grave of Sam.
She turned her head downward, her bangs covering her eyes as a tear rolled down her face. "Why did it have to be you? Why does it hurt so much? I can see why you loved him, Sam." Rachel smiled as she lifted her head and continued to gaze at the grave. She watched as the wind breezed by the flowers she had placed for Sam. "He still loves you, as it should be, I suppose. I suspect if you were still alive, Megan would be your child and you two would have a great life, and Freddie would be so happy."
Rachel tilted her head toward the sky and smiled. "He is really happy with Megan, that's definitely a plus. I know you're waiting for him, he would be thrilled to see you again, I know that much." Rachel heard something in the nearby bushes and quickly looked over, whatever had been there quickly ran off. Rachel felt something rushing through her, almost like fear. "What was that?" A nearby twig snapped and Rachel glanced over, taking a step back and widening her eyes. Soon a ghostly apparition appeared behind her. Rachel froze and slowly turned around, she thought she was looking directly at Sam. "What…"
"Be careful, he's lurking," the apparition said. "The one who hates him…I loved Freddie, therefore I died. It was not a mistake to love him, and never will I regret that I had his heart. He didn't want me to be with Freddie, he didn't want Freddie to be happy. He took away Freddie's happiness. Krueger, the man with the skull and burning arms, he lurks…" Rachel wasn't sure what was going on, she couldn't explain this at all. "Quick! Run! He is here. Meet Freddie and Megan at the ice cream shop. Be careful, he hides near your car."
"What?" The apparition vanished and Rachel turned toward her car, she wasn't sure who the apparition was talking about, but she knew that it had to be Sam. It was the only explanation. Soon a gust of wind shot from where the apparition had stood and hit Rachel's car, causing it to shake. When this happened, Rachel thought she saw someone moving on the inside of her car. "Crap…" Rachel pulled out her cell phone and called Freddie, hoping to catch him, even though he hated talking on the phone while driving.
"Rachel, what is it?" Freddie asked when he picked up the phone.
"I think there's someone in my car."
"What? Hold on, I'll be right there." Rachel nodded and sat down on the ground near Sam's grave. Soon she became shrouded in what seemed like a cloud of fog. She raised her eyebrow and looked around, still not sure what was going on. The fog was only around Sam's grave, the rest of the cemetery was still clear. She wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there for. "Rachel? Rachel! Damn it, answer me!"
"I'm right here." The fog cleared away and Rachel could see Freddie looking at her, a concerned look was on his face. Megan was sitting in his car, looking out the window with worry. Freddie sighed and quickly rushed over to her.
"Are you okay? There's nobody in your car, I just checked." Rachel stood up and raised her eyebrow, she was sure she saw someone in her car. She walked over to her car and looked inside, Freddie was right, there wasn't anyone in there. Rachel took a sigh and shrugged her shoulders.
"Alright, well that's fine. I was sure someone was in there, but I guess not. If there was, he's not there now. Hm…well, I'm sorry I made you come all the way back here."
"Nah, it's fine. Let's just get to the ice cream shop, Megan's really getting anxious." Freddie chuckled lightly and looked back at Megan, the little girl did seem to be getting restless. Rachel laughed and opened her car door.
"Right, well then, I guess I'll have to give her some free ice cream for making her wait." Freddie smirked and shrugged his shoulders.
"You don't have to do that."
"It's the least I can do for my favorite six year old." Rachel smirked and Freddie gave her a smile.
"She's everyone's favorite six year old, I guess." Freddie walked to his car and Rachel entered hers. With that, they drove off toward the ice cream shop. Rachel glanced out her rearview mirror and saw Freddie following, Megan was in the backseat, sleeping, but also looking frightened about something. She figured some things were better left unsaid. She would give anything to have taken Sam's place that day.
"Why did she have to die?" If it would make him happy, she would gladly go back in time and find a way to save Sam from ever dying. Rachel shifted her eyes to the side and saw the ice cream shop, she smiled as she turned into the parking lot. Freddie turned in and parked in the parking spot, he stepped out of the car and Megan exited her side and ran around to grasp onto Freddie's leg.
"Daddy, I think I want to go see Auntie Valerie and Uncle Jonah instead," Megan said while tugging on his pants. Freddie raised his eyebrow and looked at Megan, he was shocked that she had changed her mind so quickly. "I had a bad dream, Daddy. It was scary!"
"It was only a dream, Megan."
"But Daddy, there was this mean man! His arms were on fire and he looked dangerous!" Freddie froze in shock, he wondered if Megan just dreamt about Sam's murderer. A small growl escaped his throat and his fists slowly tightened. Rachel walked to the front door and frowned, it was closed. She walked back to Freddie and Megan, giving a sigh and crossing her arms.
"I'm guessing Dad closed the shop early today," Rachel said while looking at Megan. She expected the girl to be sad, but for some reason, Megan was afraid of something.
"That's okay, maybe we can go to Brahms, the ice cream shop just a couple streets from here." Freddie looked at Megan and smiled. "What do you think?"
"I just want to go home." Freddie frowned and tilted his head, he was very concerned with what was scaring Megan. Rachel smiled and knelt down, placing her hand on Megan's shoulder.
"Megan, why are you afraid?" Rachel asked in a calm voice.
"Because the one Daddy loved came to me and told me about a man with flaming arms, and then the man with flaming arms came and threatened us!"
"Flaming arms…" Rachel thought for a minute and her eyes widened upon realizing that it matched what Sam's apparition had told her. Rachel smiled softly and gave Megan a comforting hug.
"It's okay, you should know your father is here to protect you, right?"
"I know, and Daddy's really strong!" Megan smiled and Rachel gave a small laugh. "Daddy won't let anything bad happen, he's invincible!" Freddie chuckled at that and leaned against the car.
"That's right, sweetie," Freddie responded. "I won't let a soul hurt you." Freddie thought for a moment and remembered what had happened to Sam. "I was powerless to protect her, though. I couldn't protect the woman I loved, the one who meant the most to me…then how could I possibly protect…" Freddie shook the depressing thought from his mind and gave Megan a comforting smile. "Let's go get some ice cream and then we can go see Valerie and Jonah, what do you say?"
"Okay! That's fun!" Megan quickly hugged Freddie. Rachel slowly stood up and smiled at the two. "I love you, Daddy!"
"I love you too, Megan, and I always will." From there, the group went to Brahms, and after that, they drove to Jonah and Valerie's home. Jonah and Valerie saw Freddie, Megan and Rachel, this raised their eyebrows.
"Freddie! Who's this lovely girl beside you?" Valerie asked while smirking at him. Freddie narrowed his eyes and Jonah let out a small sigh. Rachel raised her eyebrow and Valerie crossed her arms over. "So, have you finally taken my advice?" Freddie kept his eyes narrow as Megan spotted a butterfly, she laughed and started to chase the butterfly.
"Don't go too far, Megan," Rachel said in a quick voice.
"It's a pretty butterfly!" Rachel smiled and shrugged her shoulders as she joined Megan and watched as the little girl watched the butterfly intensely. Valerie smiled and looked from them over to Freddie.
"I'm only saying that yes, it's hard," Valerie said while lowering her arms. "Nothing, and I repeat nothing can ever replace Sam in your life, but she would want you to move on." Rachel glanced away from Megan and over at Valerie and Freddie, she had to agree with Valerie on some of that. "It's hard for us all, especially you, but we've all done our best to continue living. You have a little girl who loves you, you should live for her, isn't that what Sam would want?"
"Yeah, it is," Freddie said while shifting his eyes to the side. "Even still, I don't need another. Sam was my one and only, she was my first love. I'll never love another."
"Isn't that what you said about Carly?" Jonah asked while tilting his head to the side. "I don't mean any harm, but I thought she was your first 'love' as you say."
"No, I never truly loved her. I only loved Sam, and that's the only girl I'll ever love."
"It doesn't have to be that way," Valerie said in a quick and pleading voice. Rachel's eyes drifted toward the ground and she made a huffing sound while gently tapping a rock to the side with her shoe. "Sam will be your first love, she will always be the one you loved most, that will never change. Nobody will ever replace her in your life. However, Sam would want you to move on! She would want you to be happy, just like she would want us all to be happy!"
"Megan does need a mom," Jonah stated while letting out a small sigh. "I think what Valerie's trying to say, is you've suffered long enough. It's true, Sam would want you to be happy. Just like Carly became a lawyer, Spencer went on to become a museum curator, and Valerie's going to be giving birth to twins. We all miss Sam dearly, but we're trying to go about living our lives how Sam would want us to live them, in happiness. Don't you think it's fair that you do as well? Don't you think Sam would be heartbroken if she were alive today and saw you acting this way?"
"Better yet, Freddie. We all watch you from afar, we all love you and want to see the best out of you. We're hurt to see you struggling so hard, we only want you to be happy. What if the roles were switched? What if it were you and Sam were still alive, how would you feel if she were acting the same as you?" Freddie crossed his arms and glanced toward the side, he knew he would hate seeing Sam so troubled. He would actually want Sam to move on, but it was hard to do that.
"It's only been five years," Rachel said as she stepped next to Freddie. Freddie looked over with wide eyes, Valerie and Jonah looked at her and decided to listen. They made note of the tears that were in her eyes, and wondered why she was upset. "While it's true that no woman can replace Sam, it's only been five years since he's lost the one he's loved most. It's best to respect his decision that he doesn't want to get involved in that again. He needs time to really try and move on with his life. While it's easy for those who were not in love with her, it's hard for him. It can be hard for anyone who loved someone."
"Yeah, I guess so…"
"I'm Rachel, by the way." Rachel gave Valerie a smile and Valerie returned her smile. "Valerie and Jonah, I've heard so much about you two. Freddie talks about you all the time."
"Good things, I hope." Valerie smirked and looked over at Freddie, he smirked in response. "Has he talked about when we dated, years ago?"
"Yes actually…"
"Oh, and what did he say?" Valerie raised her eyebrows and Jonah started to snicker.
"Nothing bad at all, actually…He only mentioned that he dated you and then you two broke up, there was nothing there and he really had feelings for Sam…" Rachel paused for a moment but then smiled and continued. "Of course, he did mention that Jonah dated Sam!" Jonah stopped snickering and shifted his eyes to the side, starting to pale, he was not sure if he had something to fear. "Apparently Jonah cheated on Sam and then got put on the wedgie bounce." Jonah paled and Valerie laughed.
"Oh man…yeah, I remember that."
"Yeah, great way to bring up painful memories," Jonah said while clenching his teeth together.
"Oh Jonah, we're just joking around, sweetie." Valerie smiled and gave Jonah a kiss on the cheek. Freddie looked over to see Megan walk around the corner of the house.
"Megan! Come back here!" Freddie called out. Rachel looked over and Freddie started to walk toward where Megan went. Soon a loud scream erupted and Megan ran around the corner, crying her eyes out. "Megan? What's the matter?"
"It's him!" Megan exclaimed. "It's the man with flaming arms!" Freddie's eyes widened and Rachel gasped.
"Are you sure?" Freddie's eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. Megan ran toward Rachel and wrapped her arms around her, Rachel wrapped her arms around Megan and looked toward Freddie while whispering that it would be alright. "That bastard is here?" Then it happened, the man in Freddy Krueger's mask walked around the corner, giving Freddie an evil look. Freddie felt his stomach churn and rage coursing through his veins. "So, you've showed your face."
"Of course, why else wouldn't I?" The man asked. "I enjoy robbing you of your happiness. I am a robber, am I not?" The man smirked behind his mask and tilted his head. "I took away Samantha Puckett's life, and I'll take the lives of those who make you happy."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I wasn't just robbing that place five years back, I just needed a way to keep you from suspecting anything. I really only hated you. You don't deserve such happiness, I'm sorry to admit."
"Damn you…" The man pulled out his gun and aimed it toward Jonah, Valerie, Rachel, and Megan. Freddie glanced over and then back at the man. "You leave them out of this!"
"Why would I do that? They make you happy, so you don't need them. You stole my Sam away from me, that's why I hate you, that's why you don't deserve happiness."
"What? What are you talking about? Who the hell are you!" The man smirked and grabbed the top of his mask, he pulled it off and revealed his face. It belonged to that of Rueben. "Rueben…what the hell…"
"Yeah, I got a few tattoos over the years, and been in a few fights." Rueben pointed toward the patch over his left eye. "Anyway, I'm going to kill your friends, then your daughter and that precious girl of yours."
"What? What girl-" Freddie looked over at Rachel and his eyes widened. He swiftly looked toward Rueben and growled. "What the hell have you been drinking? That's not 'my girl' at all! She's just a close friend, that's it." Valerie looked over at Rachel and frowned, she saw that Rachel had an almost expressionless face on. Rachel shrugged and looked over at Freddie with worry, she was afraid for him. "You murdered Sam, you took away the one girl who ever and will ever mean anything to me! You'll pay for that, bastard!" Freddie took his police pistol from his holster and aimed it toward Rueben. "I'm not going to let you out alive."
"Go ahead and try, but I'll only aim my gun toward them." Freddie saw Rueben still aiming his gun toward the others, hovering his weapon over Megan and Rachel. "You can fight and shoot all you want, but I'll still only aim toward them and fire at them."
"Damn it…" Freddie growled and shifted his eyes over to his friends. "What the hell are you standing around for? Get inside, now!"
"Oh, but if they move, I'm still going to shoot them." Freddie paused for a minute and scowled.
"At least let my daughter go inside." Rueben tilted his head back and started to laugh, not believing Freddie actually suggested that. It was the perfect opening Freddie needed, since Rueben's gun was toward the ground and his concentration broke. Freddie swiftly dashed toward Rueben and fired a gunshot, hitting Rueben in the abdomen.
"Damn it!" Rueben held his abdomen and groaned as the blood seeped through his fingers.
"This is for Sam, you took her away from me, and you'll die for it!" Freddie lifted his leg and kicked Rueben in the side. He then kicked Rueben's chest and knocked him toward the ground. "Bastard…" Freddie placed his foot on Rueben's chest and pointed his gun toward Rueben, he looked back toward the others and frowned. "Get Megan inside, I don't want her to see this." Freddie glanced back at Rueben and Rachel watched with concern. "You too, Rachel…" Freddie didn't want his daughter to see him kill a man, it would be too violent. Valerie took Megan and led her into the house, Rachel didn't want to leave the area, so she stayed next to Jonah. Rueben smirked and looked up at Freddie.
"So, I'm guessing you're that tied to Sam. Nothing makes you happy? Say hello to Sam for me, crap-face…" Rueben lifted his gun up and Freddie wasn't swift enough to catch the action. Rachel's eyes widened as a gunshot was fired and a bullet shot out of Freddie's back.
"FREDDIE!" Rachel exclaimed. She could hear Megan scream as Freddie fell back and landed on the ground. Rachel looked over and saw Megan looking out the window, Valerie was holding the screaming girl close. The sight made Rachel clench her fists with rage. "Bastard…how could you do that! How could you take so many lives? What makes it right for you to control who is happy and who is not?"
"What?" Rueben slowly stood up and looked at Rachel with a raised eyebrow. He chuckled lightly and shrugged his shoulders. "I think I just did him a favor, along with every other person in this world." Rachel raised her eyebrow and growled as she took a step forward.
"What favor was that?"
"Do you think people actually wanted this depressed idiot around?"
"Of course, a lot of people did! You have no right to take him from this world, bastard. You also had no right to take the one woman who ever meant anything to him!" Rachel swallowed and kept her tears from falling, she wasn't about to start crying. "I know he would never love another woman after Sam, but I know that I, and several others, would help him through his pain."
"Shut up, there's nothing you can do about it, anyway. So I murdered Sam Puckett, I consider killing Freddie to be a charity."
"What's the charity?"
"Ridding this world of scum like him…" Rueben took a look at Rachel and tilted his head, he smirked and crossed his arms over. "Well, well, you wouldn't be having any feelings for him, would you?" Rachel bit her lip and clenched her fists tightly.
"Why would I? I'm nothing but a friend to him, and he's only a friend to me. There's nothing going on there. Since you killed Sam in cold blood, and stole his happiness away, I'm going to make sure you pay for it!" Rachel ran toward Rueben before Jonah could stop her. She quickly slammed her fist into his abdomen and lifted her leg, kicking him in the chest.
"Damn it! What are you trying to do, get yourself killed?" Rueben grabbed Rachel's neck and slammed her into the ground. Jonah quickly ran toward them, but Rueben pointed his gun toward Jonah. He fired a shot, hitting Jonah in the arm. Jonah shouted out and fell to the ground, grabbing his arm and groaning painfully. Rachel grabbed Rueben's arm and glared into his eyes, her nostrils flared and tears ran down the side of her face.
"Damn you, bastard. You're not going to get away with this."
"I think I will." Rueben smirked and stared at Rachel. "Maybe I'll have a bit of fun before killing you."
"Get your hands off her," A voice said. Rachel's eyes widened and Rueben looked over to see Freddie standing up and aiming a gun toward him. "You won't take anyone else…" Freddie's eyes drifted over to Jonah, then to the window where Megan and Valerie were standing, then to Rachel and back to Rueben. "I won't allow you to take anyone else that I…I can protect." Rueben laughed and Freddie narrowed his eyes. He then fired off several bullets, hitting Rueben multiple times.
"Damn it!" Rueben yelped in pain and Rachel quickly pushed him off of her, not caring about the blood that she was covered in. She stood up and looked toward Freddie, he had a gunshot to the chest, and needed immediate medical help.
"Are you okay?" Freddie asked while looking at Rachel. "If you're fine, then we need to get an ambulance for Jonah." Jonah groaned and slowly stood up while holding his arm, he panted and looked over at Freddie.
"What? It's just a small wound," Jonah stated. "You're the one with need for medical help." Freddie chuckled lightly and took a step forward. He saw Megan and Valerie step out of the house, Megan's eyes were wide with fear. Rachel was just happy that Freddie was okay for now.
"I've called for an ambulance," Valerie said while placing her hand on her chest and breathing out a sigh.
"I may die, but I'm taking you with me, bastard," A voice said.
"DADDY!" Megan screamed. The last thing Freddie saw was Megan and Rachel staring at him with a look of fear, Jonah and Valerie were shocked as well. A gunshot rang aloud and a bullet fired into Freddie's back and out his chest. Freddie fell to his knees and then forward to the ground.
"Freddie…" Rachel shook her head and narrowed her eyes. She quickly grabbed Freddie's gun and fired off a round of bullets into Rueben, making sure the man was dead. She then dropped the gun and stared at Freddie, her eyes widened when she realized that he was most likely dead. Megan ran up to Freddie and started screaming for her dad to wake up and say he loved her. Jonah and Valerie soon surrounded him as well, Jonah checked Freddie's pulse and frowned.
"How is he?" Valerie asked, fearing for the answer. Rachel didn't hear Jonah's answer, she didn't have to, she already knew what the answer was. She fell to her knees as the siren rounded the corner. She was in a state of shock and disbelief, Freddie was indeed dead. All she could hear was Valerie breaking down and the voices of the paramedics ringing aloud as they ran across the yard. Rachel closed her eyes felt the bitter hot tears running down her cheeks. She opened her eyes and looked toward the sky, she was sure that Freddie was with Sam now. She wanted to wish Rueben a life in hell, but she knew that despite his evil, it was still wrong to wish him an eternity in hell. Soon, everything was silent around her, but it was impossible, lights were still flashing and Megan was still screaming.
"Freddie, I pray that you're finally happy," Rachel said in a quiet voice. She had a tiny smile on her face as she closed her eyes and continued to let the tears fall. "You're with Sam, now, I hope. That means you should be completely happy…" Soon a mist surrounded her once again, covering her from the others. She opened her eyes and looked forward, her eyes widened when she saw what stood in front of her. It was Sam and Freddie, Freddie's arm was around Sam's waist and a smile graced both of their faces.
"We're together, finally," Freddie said while giving Sam a kiss on the forehead.
"I have to have a talk with him about how he fell into a depression, though," Sam said while closing her eyes and chuckling lightly. Freddie shifted his eyes to the side and shrugged.
"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad." Sam crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.
"Do you know how hard it was, seeing you like that? You shouldn't have been so sad. All these people cared about you…" Freddie sighed and slowly shook his head, he knew Sam was right. "Well, I guess it's true. Once a dork, always a dork…"
"Hey!" Freddie sighed and looked over toward where his body was. He frowned and looked back to Rachel. "Hey, Rachel, can I ask you a favor?"
"Yes," Rachel said while standing up. "Anything at all…"
"Will you take care of them for me? Jonah, Valerie, and definitely Megan…They've gone through so much, I know. I want you to make sure to take care of them. Make them happy, you know."
"Yeah, I'll do that for you." Freddie smiled and nodded his head.
"Thank you very much." Sam smiled and Freddie wrapped his arms around Sam's waist. He looked over as Rueben's spirit appeared.
"Damn it! No!" Rueben shouted. "You're not supposed to be happy! Screw you, I'll make sure you're dead!"
"That's impossible, now."
"Just leave, Rueben," Sam said while giving a small sigh.
"No!" Rueben shouted. "I WON'T ALLOW IT! NO!" Rachel watched with wide eyes as flames shot from the ground. Freddie and Sam gave two sad sighs as the flames engulfed Rueben. He let out a shrill scream as his soul burned.
"It's over," Freddie said in a quiet voice.
"Rachel, thank you," Sam said in a smile. Rachel raised her eyebrow and her mouth fell open, she had no clue what Sam was thanking her for. She watched as Freddie kissed Sam's lips. She smiled at the sight and let a tear fall from her face as the two vanished. Soon the mist went away and Rachel once more heard Megan's cries.
"Rachel! Are you okay?" Jonah asked while shaking her. Rachel looked over and saw Jonah and Valerie eyeing her with concern. "Rachel, Freddie's gone…"
"I know," Rachel responded. She wiped her eyes and slowly stood up. "How long was I out?"
"For about an hour," Valerie responded. "They bandaged up Jonah's arm on the spot, saying he would be fine." Rachel looked over to see Megan holding her legs to her chest and bawling. She then wrapped her arms around Megan. The girl looked up and sniffled.
"I want my daddy," Megan said with a sob. "He's not supposed to die."
"It's okay. Valerie and Jonah are here, I'm here…Freddie's happy now, he's with Sam. They're together, so they're happy, and they would want you to be happy." Megan sniffed and nodded her head. It would take a long time for everyone to get over what had happened, but that was why they all needed to stick together. At least they would be comforted, knowing Sam and Freddie were now married, even if it was through death.
There's the end, I hope you liked this! Especially you, Venus. Just in case you didn't notice, Rachel actually did have feelings for him. I'm not sure how obvious that was. I wanted to show that she was actually hurt when he would say things, but that she did understand the trouble he had. So, don't get her wrong, she is happy that Freddie is with Sam. That means he's truly happy. Well anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.