Author's note : Hey all, I want to start this out with some huge news! First I want thank all of you who took the time to review the last chapter, because you took the time to do what sadly most people don't , you helped me reach a personal best of the largest number of reviews received for a first chapter. I was so thrilled! As a thank you I am updating this fic instead of iDont Forgive You! Thank you so much you all are awesome.
Now for the read of the week this week's read goes out to…..(*iDo It Over by ColorsOfTheSky101*) Now I all know we've read our fair share of post iOMG fics, but when you read one done right it's mind blowing, and this my friends and fellow Seddiers is done completely right!
No on with the story!
Freddie walked down the long terminal hallway rolling his neck and shoulders, he hated flights that lasted over four hours, somehow, they always managed to cause him some sort of pain. As he continued, the pain soon became a thought of the past, and the realization that he was finally there set in. He was grateful that they all made the effort, to keep their promise to stay in touch, especially Sam. She was in fact the master mind of it all.
Flashback.
Freddie looked around the room, as the faces of Ridgeway class of 2012 danced, laughed, ate, and got drunk all around him. They behaved as if nothing at all was on their minds. He took a moment to laugh as he saw Ms. Briggs taking a sip of the notably spiked punch, her face contorting into a mortified expression. The moment past and he was brought back into his thoughts, in a month he would be leaving Seattle, his friends, family,..her. He pulled at his tie, sipping a little more of his own punch, closing his eyes as the liquid burned his throat, before heading toward the gym doors. He was greeted with a cool breeze which he welcomed gratefully. Undoing his tie, he let it hang around his neck as he sat down on the steps, leaning back on his elbows taking in the nights sky.
"Getting to wild for you?"
"More like to fake." He said not looking away from the sky.
" What don't you want to party with your bestest friends?" He smiled at the sarcasm in her voice, as she took a seat next to him on the steps, her own cup in her hands.
"Yea the ones who I'll miss so dearly, especially Doug Peterman, who up until last year made my life a living hell."
"Yea I guess he didn't realize that position was already filled." She said bumping his shoulder with her own. He felt the warmth of her immediately through his shirt.
"So what are you doing out here?" He asked this time looking to her. She wore a strapless knee length dark purple dress, tight on the top, but flowed out beautiful on the bottom, but as she stretched out her legs you could see her signature converse sneakers adorning her feet, good old Sam. He smiled.
" Just need to get out of there, away from it all you know?"
He knew.
"Any more thoughts on next year?" At her glare he quickly backed off raising his hands. " Never mind, forget I mentioned it." She looked back up to the sky, sighing brining her cup to her lips she finished off the contents of her cup.
" I'm just not in the mood for another speech, believe me I've heard it from Carly at least a dozen times. You have to go to school Sam, think about your future, where do you see yourself in ten years. Hell sometimes I don't know where I see myself next week."
" I know where you'll be." This caught her attention causing her to meet his eyes, those eyes, those dangerous blue eyes. "You'll be living life, the way you chose. As the Sam who can do anything she puts her mind to legal or illegal." He said sitting up. "You'll be out taking some of those amazing pictures you take, even thought your too self conscious to show them, you'll be..wherever you want to be Sam, because your just that strong." They sat froze, neither one breaking their connection, both hearts swelled, beating at the same rapid pace, as they unconsciously moved closer together; Sam's arm managed to bump into Freddie's glass causing his drink to spill onto his lap.
" Oh chizz!" Sam exclaimed picking up the cup, as he jumped quickly while wiping off his lap. " I'm …"
"It's okay, I know." He smiled in her direction before looking back up at the sky.
"And about what you said before…"
" It's okay, I know that too." He said sending a signature smirk her way, the one that always sent a direct zap to her insides. Sam smiled despite herself allowing her gaze to return to the stars.
"So are you excited? Preparing to be the big geek on campus?"
" I guess."
"You guess? You've only been waiting for this for what… ever? You get to get away from Crazy for a majority of your time, and you get to be with your kind." He laughed at this.
"My kind?"
"Yea sci-fi nerds who dream of robots and Princess Laia"
"I'm excited but I guess…I always just consider you, Carly, and Gibby to be my kind."
"I don't think I could ever fit in a category with Gibby." She laughed.
"Want to know why I really left the gym?"
"Enlighten my sir nub."
" I hated how cliché it felt, everyone partying like tonight will last forever, couples feeling each other up in the corners, friends making drunken promises to keep in touch, when they know they won't." He said with a hint of sadness in his voice. Sam looked at him intently, before quickly pushing herself up into a standing position. " Sam?"
"Stay here." She called over her shoulder heading back into the gym. He watched the doors, after about five minutes he was about to head in looking for her, when the doors swung open revealing Sam, with Gibby and Carly close in toe.
"Sam what's going on?" Carly asked as they stopped in front of Freddie, who was now standing on the steps.
"Yea, they were just about to play my favorite song, I can deny the ladies of GIBBY!"
" Listen we all know what's about to happen next month, the first part of us will be heading away to what might as well be the other side of the earth to go to school." All eyes fell on Freddie who only shrugged in confusion signaling that he didn't know what was going on either." After Freddie, it's you Gibby, going off to where every Gibbys go."
"I'm going to UCLA , they have a pretty great sports team, and there's a chance for me to put all these good looks to use."
"Not important, and Carly your starting at Seattle University, and I'm...well I'm doing whatever, basically what I'm saying is we're all going to lose contact, we've already filmed the last iCarly, what's going to keep us together?"
"Sam we're still friends whether were doing iCarly or not."
"Yea we'll all keep in contact, right you guys?" Carly said looking back and forth between Freddie and Gibby.
"Yea of course."
"No that's not enough we need to make a pack right here right now." She said looking at each in the eyes. "We promise to come together once a month."
"Sam do you have any idea how expensive it will be to fly back and forth."
"Okay fine once every few months."
"Well where would we meet, with Freddie in Massachusetts, Carly in Seattle, me in L.A, and you…wherever? Gibby asked.
"We'll rotate starting here in Seattle in four months no matter where we are, or what we're doing, we meet back here for the weekend, we all hang out, and maybe even do an iCarly special now and again. Now promise all of you."
"Sam what if…"
"Promise!" They all looked back and forth between each other, a hint of doubt evident on their features.
"I promise." Freddie said first meeting her eyes while holding out a hand.
"I'm in." Gibby shrugged, placing his hand on top of Freddie's.
" Looking forward to it." Carly smiled laying her hand on top of Gibby's. Sam returned her smile, laying her hand on top of Carly's.
"As a part of this pack, anyone who so ever shall break it, will have to deal with the wrath of me, and my shaver, now agreed on three. One, two, three."
"Agreed!" They all said with a laugh, letting their hands fall.
"Now come on let's get back to the party, I here Journey playing." Gibby said running towards the door.
"I better go make sure he keeps his shirt on, you two coming?"
"We'll be there in a minute." Freddie said nodding his head. "So what inspired that?"
"You said you hated the cliché goodbye and we'll keep in touch speech, well I just made it more of a permanent thing." She shrugged biting her bottom lip, he smiled moving to stand closer to her.
"You're amazing you know."
" Just don't go telling everyone, they'd expect me to do more." She smiled.
"It will be our little secret."
"You ready to head back in?"
"Yea." Sam moved to turn around, heading up the steps.
"Sam.." He called catching her hand in his. " I…I um..thank you." He said with those eyes again." She looked down to where he held her hand, both feeling the spark at their contact, but neither willing to comment on it. Noticing her eyes, Freddie made a move to pull back his hand, only to have Sam intertwine their fingers.
"Come on Nub, you know Carly can't keep a shirt on Gibby alone." He smiled and they walked back towards the gym hand and hand, and in that moment he felt ready to face whatever life threw at him.
End Flash back.
He loved getting together with all his friends, but there was just something about being back in Seattle that made it even more special, it was where they all began. He walked out the door, finding a small sea of smiling anxious faces, some bouncing as they awaited their loved one. He saw a couple run together, and watched as they clung to one another as if, at any moment the other could disappear how clique an airport scene, and he was just saying that because he was jealous or anything. He looked around again, trying to spot that undeniable gold, finding nothing he looked to his watch it read 11:10. What did he expect this was Sam after all. Spotting an empty chair near a window he settled in, taking out his laptop, he began working on an assignment that wouldn't be due until next week, but hey he had the time.
"I hope I'm not interrupting something intimate."
"You're late." He said, his eyes not moving away from the screen.
"And you're observant." He smiled despite himself. "Come on you can't stay mad at me." He looked up greeted with those eyes, and they both knew she was right. He'd been waiting for this for a few months, but the time away from her seem liked years, skype could never beat Samantha Puckett in the flesh. Closing his laptop he slid it back into his bag.
"Bring it in Puckett." He said holding out his arms. Sam rolled her eyes feigning annoyance, but none the less practically ran into his waiting arms. "It's good to see you." Sam nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, unconsciously taking in his scent, minty and fresh despite the long flight.
" Good to be seen." She said not ready to let go, fighting against the familiar of his arms, those damn fine arms. " How's your neck?" She asked finally stepping back.
" It's seen better days." He said rolling his head around.
"Here let me show you something I learned a couple of weeks ago." He stepped back wearily as she reached for his head. "Come on I'm not going to hurt you, don't you trust me?" She question with a raised eyebrow. She had him there, he trusted her more than anyone else he knew. He knew she cared enough not to hurt him, as well as tell it like it is when he needed to hear the truth. He stepped forward, dropping his arms. She stood slightly on her tiptoe, so that they were eye to eye, and place a hand on both sides of his head her thumbs slightly tickling his ears, as she lowered them pressing firmly into his neck. "Now I want to take a deep breath and then count to three. He nodded in understanding.
"One, two.." Sam quickly turned his head to the right and back applying more pressure on her thumbs. He heard a loud popping noise, which seemed to ring in his ears, as he stepped out of her hands. "Sam what the hell, you said three, you can't just.." He stopped his rant bringing a hand to his neck he was surprised to feel no bone out of place, or pain. He rolled his head side to side, in amazement, his pain had completely vanished. "Wow where did you learn how to do that?"
"Mama doesn't reveal her secrets now come on I'm starving, I haven't had anything to eat since I landed, and you know Carly's already called at least 15 times since I left her place."
"Ok but I'm driving." He said while grabbing his bag.
"Not without these you aren't." Sam smile dangling the keys.
"Hand them over Puckett."
"In your dreams Benson, Carly entrust me with the keys, so I'm driving."
"Fine, then let me see your license, and you can drive."
"Sorry it's indisposed at the moment." She said while running ahead. Freddie shook his head at her fleeing figure. "And so it begins." He smiled following after her.
….
"Here we are, and the boy is not hurt, as promised." Sam said entering Carly's apartment taking a bow.
"Freddie!" Carly exclaimed running to hug him.
"Carls!" he said sweeping her up into his arms, spinning her around in a circle, while dropping his bag.
"I'm so glad you're here."
" It's great to be back."
"My man." Gibby said walking over clapping Freddie on the back.
"Gib, how's that knee treating you?"
" Tearing an ACL, sucks, but after the surgery I'm working like new," He said doing a squat to emphasize his point.
"Freddie you can put your stuff upstairs, Meghan's away visiting Trent she said it was cool for you guys to use the room."
"I'm actually going.."
"He's crashing with Crazy." Sam supplied returning from the kitchen a chicken leg in hand.
"What no you can't, I have a fungenda all planned out." Carly said holding up a list decorated with glitter, and bold print. The other shared a look, before looking back to Carly.
"I still can hang with you guys, I'm just going to sleep at home."
"But then you'll have to drive back and forth every day."
"It's no big deal I don't mind, I'm sure I can convince mom to let me use the car."
"What if we all just sleep over at Spencer's, that way we could still do the stuff Carly wants, and Freddie's mommy can tuck him in a night." Freddie sent an ignored glare in Sam's direction.
"Yea that's a great idea, let me just call in and check with Spencer." Carly said going to get her cell phone.
"Man Gibby what are you lifting these days?"
" About 250, coach thinks I have a chance at play professional, if you know the modeling thing doesn't work out. How about, you, I see you've been keeping up with your lifting."
" I'm at 155, I think I'm ready to take on Sam again."
"You just want an excuse to hold my hand." Sam said taking a bite of chicken.
"Since when did I need an excuse." Freddie smirked as a small smile played on her lips.
"Whatever move over Fredlumps." She said bumping him over towards the middle of the couch.
"Ok guys Spencer says its cool, he can't wait to see you all, I'm going to go grab a bag, and meet you guys down at the car."
"Hurry I'm wasting away here." Sam called after her.
"So Freddie, how goes the life of an aspiring engineer?"
"Busy." He laughed. "I have a couple of pretty extensive projects due next week, but nothing too big to keep me from this." He said his eyes quickly glancing over to Sam, who was busily clearing away the chicken from the bone.
"I hope it's not too busy for a night life."
"Night life?" Sam said with a snort, extending her legs across Freddie lap. "His idea of a night life consist of studying and time spent MMORPGing, yea Matt told me all about that." She smiled at his surprised expression. He rolled his eyes, he was going to kill Matt, what kind of roommate was he.
"What's MMORPG?"
"It's.."
"Nothing." Freddie finished, while glaring at Sam. "I go out."
"Classes don't count."
"Last week I went out with a couple of friends to Lyric."
"Oh wow that's like one of the hottest clubs in Boston, there must have been some pretty hot chicks there."
" I'm going to get Carly, I'm out of meat." Sam said standing up, and heading down the hall. Freddie watched her go, a slight frown adorning his features. He looked back to Gibby, who wore a look of confusion.
"What I do?"he asked with a shrug.
"Beats me." Freddie sighed.
…
After completing the first few bullet points on her list, feed Sam, allow time for unpacking, showering and resting, feed Sam, and selecting movies to rent and appropriate movie snacks , relaxation was ready to commence. "So how about we all change into something more comfortable while we wait for Freddie, Sam you of course can use my room, and Gibby Spencer's is all yours."
"Awesome, does he still use the lotion that smells like coconut?"
"Uh… yea sure."
"Score!" He said running back into Spencer's room.
"I thought you said he would grow out of it." Sam said shaking her head.
"I guess you can't grow out of Gibby." Carly laughed following her up the stairs. She had moved out last year, to get a taste of life own her own, Spencer of course objected, but once she explain that she was only half an hour away, and she would be even closer to school, and with a promise to come home every other weekend he finally agreed and even got their father on board, who helped to pay a portion of the rent. Even though she no longer lived there Spencer kept her room the same, it was times like these that felt like high school again, she loved it. "So." Carly said dropping her bag on the bed.
"So." Sam said dropping herself on the bed.
" So… what's going on with you and Freddie?" Carly asked with a light shrug.
"What do you mean?" Sam asked unbuttoning her top.
"I mean, am I in store for another 3 days of you two playing couple, or did you both finally come to your senses?" Sam rolled her eyes, not this again.
"You know I have…Gavin."
"Gavin? You two are still together?"
"What now?" Sam asked shrugging off her top.
"He's just so…icky, not Freddie like at all"
"Carlyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy." She said dragging out her name.
"Don't Carlyyyyyyyyyyyy me." She said walking around the bed to sit next to her friend. " I see the way you look at each other. All the inside jokes, and don't get me starting on the feeding each other."
"What a guy can't give his friend a fry?"
"You know what I mean Sam, what's going on?"
"For the last time nothing's going on, why is that so hard to believe?" Sam asked pulling her t-shirt down over her head.
"Well for one isn't that Freddie's t-shirt?" Sam looked down, at the black Cuddle Fish t-shirt, one that she had stolen from Freddie the last time she visited.
" Excuse me while I walk away." She said moving to grab some pajama pants out of her bag .
"Sam I'm just trying to understand." Carly said sitting next to her. "It's not… normal the relationship you two have. "
"Whoever said we were normal?" Sam asked looking to her. Carly was taken back, she had a point, if she had to classify either of her best friends, normal wouldn't be one of the adjectives she would use. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Yo yo." Freddie said poking his head in the room. " Gibby wants to know if he can put on some foreign documentary he brought with him."
"All movies must get the Puckett seal of approval." Sam said standing up.
" Oh and my mom baked us a ..uh prune pie, so I'm just going to leave it in the kitchen."
"I'm surprised you were able to get out so fast , under an hour this time, impressive."
"I told you, we have an agreement."
"And you still have lips marks on your cheek." Freddie walked more into room, rubbing a hand across his face. "Where, am I getting it?"
"Now you're just making it worst, come here." Sam said pulling him by the arm. Holding a hand on the other side of his face, she used her thumb to rub away the lipstick. She did this naturally, but even the slightest of contact with him, sent that familiar shock through her body. "There you're lip free."
"Thanks ,hey I almost forgot I brought you some of that bacon flavored candy that we talked about last week , and it wasn't an easy feat keeping Matt out of it." Sam rubbed the back of her neck feeling a strong tingle, turning to the side she realize it was from Carly's unmoving gaze.
" I'm going the run to the bathroom, I'll see you guys downstairs I guess." Sam said while rushing out the room.
"What's with her?"
"Beats me." Carly smiled standing up heading down the stairs. Freddie followed feeling out of the loop, Women he sighed shaking his head.
….
Author's Note: Sorry if that seem cut off, because it totally was. This chapter was starting to run away from me a little bit, it was getting way to long, so I deiced to cut it up in to two. The good news is the next chapter is already started..and it's going to be pretty good if I do say so myself.
I hope you are still as excited about this chapter as the first, and if you every have a suggestions for the read of the week, let me know and I'll take a look! Thanks again.
