AN: Hello everyone, I hope you're all well. My thanks to you all for clicking on this latest chapter. To anyone who saw the KCAs last night I hope you enjoyed Nathan and Victoria's little cuddle on stage as much as I did. Between that and her dress some Teddie/Sheddie inspiration has certainly been piqued for me.
My thanks, as always at this point, to everyone who reviewed the last chapter; your views and feedback are always most welcome.
Challenge King – yes Shelby may well have preferred it if she was the sole reason for Freddie feeling better, but at least she's a big part of it. As for him standing up to his mother – this is his home now, rather than hers so he doesn't have to follow all of her rules anymore; she really has no say in it anymore.
SoraOblivion62 – thanks. The Shelby/Freddie dynamic is, much like the character herself, something of a blank piece of paper given how little we know of her so there's plenty of scope to evolve her, and therefore their relationship, however an author sees fit. Hopefully we can also get something of a backstory for her as we go along too.
Fanfic-Reader-88 – yes, Shelby should be quite happy. Maybe she is the sole reason (or at least the main one) but Freddie didn't want to openly say so given their professional relationship. Perhaps we'll find out a little more about how they both feel as we go on.
Guest – thanks, I'm glad you liked it.
Jeremy Shane – Thank you and here is more.
Pbow – Marissa is unlikely to cede authority to anyone; she thinks she knows best – it's a part of who she is. Fortunately Freddie doesn't have to listen to her anymore. As for Shelby's reaction to him talking about the girls from his past (assuming they ARE his past now) – well Freddie is a bit clueless in these matters so maybe he needs a figurative shove. I agree with you about the TV channel and its limitations – fortunately it's a minor part of the story really so not one that I'll worry all that much about.
SeddieHeartLand – Sam and Freddie making peace? At this point I really don't know; Sam's nature isn't that of someone who will make the first move (she'll just stew in resentment and plan payback) so getting them to a point where they'd actually talk isn't going to happen any time soon. As for why Carly is coming for a visit – she did say goodbye to him as he left home and has realised that she's going to miss him not being around (as a friend? Just as a tech producer? More than a friend? We can only speculate at this point) so she's coming over to see him and at least remain in his life.
Mkpunk – yes it's building slowly between them. There's definitely some sparks flying but it takes them having the courage to act on them or at least one of them to take a chance and admit to some feelings before anything more could occur. As for Carly's visit – all, or at least some, will be revealed. As I said earlier, he can stand up to his mum now and do what he likes since he's no longer under her roof or beholden to her.
OneHorseShay – an all-night Sheddie WoWL pyjama party? That could be a lot of fun for them both, with Shelby perhaps gaining an appreciation for the game. As for the shopping spree, yes they do seem to be getting rather domesticated, don't they?
As for her 'accidentally' making out with him in front of Carly – it would certainly be one way of sending a message to her fellow brunette, if indeed she does view her as a rival for the boy's affections.
Star445 – Thanks. As for my other Teddie story, When Something Better Comes Along, I have been working on it, though a lot of the recent work has been for a slightly later chapter, other than chapter 2 (as that was what I was inspired to write on). Hopefully that means that once I get chapter 2 done the next chapter or two should follow fairly quickly and I hope to get it, the next Here's to Us, an AU one-shot from the H2U universe and maybe the start of A Summer in Film up before too much longer, though I can't give any definite timeframes.
That's everyone, so here is chapter 4.
Chapter 4
"So what time is Carly coming over?" Marissa asked, either not seeing or ignoring the frown spasm across Shelby's face at discussion of the other brunette.
"We agreed on after lunch," her son replied, stowing his pear phone in his pocket, "I'm not quite in a position to be cooking a large meal just yet – soon, now that I have a little furniture here, but abilities to entertain are still somewhat limited here."
Marissa nodded her acknowledgement of his point but put on a slightly pained expression of her own. "I was hoping you'd come home for Sunday lunch today," she informed him.
Freddie let the word 'home' slide, not wanting to get into a dispute over where his home was now, not just yet anyway. Instead he turned to his mother. "Maybe next week?" he suggested. Shelby suppressed a reaction, understanding that he still wanted to spend some time with his mother.
Slightly mollified, his mother nodded. "Well, it was nice to see you," she stood up to go home. "Shelby," she stiffly acknowledged the girl.
"Bye, Mrs Benson," the fighter replied with forced politeness and an even more forced smile. As the door closed behind the departing matriarch she turned to her friend and forced some cheer into her tone. "I guess I should make myself scarce too then if you're having guests."
"You don't have to," he insisted, not wanting his friend to leave. "Just because I can't put on a huge spread I can still fix us up something for lunch. It's only going to be Carly coming so you don't have to go then either."
The girl's spirits lifted appreciably at the way he dismissed his long-time friend and crush's forthcoming arrival.
"Ok," she sank back into the spot on his new couch that she was rapidly claiming as her own, "let's see what Freddie Benson can whip up for lunch."
"Right," he smiled briefly before turning thoughtful, "I'd better start preparing it," he bustled off to the kitchen; Shelby glanced at her watch before frowning again.
"It's barely 11:30," she complained, following him through the open-plan doorway to the kitchen area. "Is it going to take you that long to fix something up, is it?"
"I'm a perfectionist," he disclosed with a smile, it flickered a little shortly after as he recalled, "I once spent ages preparing my pizza – enduring plenty of taunts as I did – and I got it just the way I wanted it and then Spencer stood on it."
"You want me to rough him up again?" his friend joked.
"No, he ate it afterwards and said it tasted like shoe so he did suffer a little for what he did," the boy grinned back.
"Do you want any help?" she offered as he began to collect a few items.
"No," he dismissed, "thank you but you're my guest and I'm fixing lunch today. Sit down and make yourself comfortable," he ordered.
"I'll try – but if I get bored on my own I'm coming back," she warned lightly.
With that incentive to hurry, Freddie worked quickly through his preparations and set everything cooking before returning to the living area and his friend.
"Oh cool, Celebrities Underwater," he noted as the fighter idly channel-surfed.
"I've never watched it," Shelby revealed as she back-tracked to the appropriate channel.
"Oh it's really great," Freddie's eyes lit up and he began to talk about the premise of the show and some of the episodes he had seen in the past. Fortunately the timer on his cooker prevented him from getting too engrossed in the episode; he scurried off to check on their meal at the sounding of the alarm.
With their food almost ready he set about preparing the table (again Shelby's offer of help was declined), finishing up with their plates.
"Ok, lunch is served," he called through; the CFC fighter bounded through to join him and took a seat at the table; she took a sip from the glass in front of her.
"Just water?"
"I didn't get any juice or anything like that last time I was at the store. I'm out of Peppy Colas as well after my evenings in front of World of Warlords…" He cut off as his guest abruptly left the kitchen and, indeed, the apartment, returning a few moments later with half a dozen cans expertly cradled in her arms.
"You're going to need something to offer Carly when she comes over," Shelby reminded him, before briefly leaving again to lock her apartment door. "Ok," she opened one of the cans as Freddie kept one for himself but stored the remaining four in his fridge, "cheers," they touched cans as a toast before continuing with their meals.
Around 2 p.m. the intercom buzzed; Freddie answered and heard Carly's exuberant tones before eagerly buzzing her into the building. Shelby's gaze dropped a little at his enthusiasm before she forced her smile back into place, waiting for the other girl's arrival, which was announced by an upbeat knocking on the apartment door.
"Hi Carls, come on in," Freddie greeted her; she surprised him by pulling him into a hug.
"Hey Freddie, how are you. Oh hi Shelby, you're here too," she cautiously greeted the taller girl, who had stood up as she entered.
"Have a seat," Freddie motioned to the arm chairs, "you want a drink?"
Carly answered in the affirmative so he collected three of the cola cans from the fridge and brought them into the living area, setting two in front of his guests and opening the third before taking a seat on the couch next to Shelby. Carly's eyes widened a fraction at the sight of the two of them looking so comfortable around one another and she would swear that a gleam flashed through Shelby's eyes as she watched them and the fighter met her gaze. Her suspicions intensified as Shelby rested a hand on Freddie's thigh when she leaned forward to set her can down on the coffee table. Freddie gave a slightly quizzical look to the girl (who was too preoccupied setting down the can to return his look) and Carly took a swig from her can as she brooded on her thoughts.
"I saw the launch of your channel," she began civilly, "impressive."
"Thanks," he accepted the praise, "it took a bit of work to get everything ready but no more than I'm used to really." He immediately regretted reminding her of iCarly's demise, though the brunette didn't flinch, although he thought he did detect a small spasm cross her face.
"The little training segment you did was really good too," she turned to Shelby, "if I was looking for a career hurting people I'd have picked up some good tips."
The other girl held her tongue as she tried to decide whether she'd been complemented or insulted by Carly's words. To buy some time she picked her can up again and took a sip. "Maybe Sam got more out of it then," she suggested in an airy tone, choosing a safe option for conversation.
"No, she refuses to watch," the petite teen informed them. "She's still bitter over your involvement," she addressed Freddie.
"Well we're not firing him so she either deals of she doesn't," Shelby declared vehemently; she tellingly rested a hand on the boy's thigh again as she placed her (now empty) can on the table.
"So," Carly followed Shelby's lead in setting down her own can, "ready to give the grand tour?"
"Oh," Freddie looked as if he'd forgotten that little detail, "sure, let's go."
He stood up, the girls did likewise (Shelby accompanying them was a little to Carly's surprise as she assumed that she would already have had the tour – and that it wouldn't be too different to her own apartment anyway). The boy led them into the kitchen where Carly frowned again at the sight of two sets of crockery and utensils stacked neatly in the drainer. She tried her best to ignore the sight and instead focussed her attention on the cooker and other appliances, before commenting on the fact that the dishwasher stood idle despite him clearly having washed up after lunch.
"I find it therapeutic sometimes," he told her. "It's too easy to just load a few things into that machine and set it going."
"I think he's nuts," Shelby laughed, poking the boy playfully causing the guest to again process and ponder upon their easy interaction.
She followed her host into the Master bedroom, barely suppressing a relieved sigh as she spotted only one set of nightwear neatly folded on the bed. Her mind retreated to her previous experience of being in the brown-haired boy's bedroom and she was thankful that neither of the other teens were looking at her as she shook her head to clear it of the thoughts and memories of her infatuation with the hero who had saved her life. She looked up and studied his profile, trying to tune back in to what he was saying but finding herself distracted. Am I jealous? she asked herself as the possibility struck her like a thunderbolt. Why? I've never felt that way about him – apart from after he saved my life… and maybe after that dance we shared, a smile played on her face as she thought back to the ending of that night, and how cute he looked when he was asleep at Nora's… Suddenly her eyes widened, partly in realisation, partly in horror as she speculated on what might have been. She didn't even know if she did have feelings for Freddie (those sorts of feelings anyway) but wondered why she'd chased after so many losers when she could have waited, stood still and allowed someone so much better to just catch her. Maybe it would have worked, maybe it wouldn't but…
"Carls? Carls?" She snapped her head around at his call; he was standing in the doorway with Shelby waiting just behind him.
"Oh right, next room," she put on her goofiest smile and joined the pair to continue the tour. Shelby stood and watched as the girl walked past her; it was the taller girl's turn to frown somewhat as she processed the shorter teen's facial expression.
They quickly took in the rest of the apartment before returning to the living area; Carly reluctantly took her seat in the arm chair again while Shelby moved, if anything, even closer to Freddie than she had been before. If he noticed this he neither commented nor complained; instead their close proximity seemed to be perfectly normal to him as they engaged his guest in conversation.
"So what are your plans for the summer, Carls?" he asked.
"Uh, I don't really have too many," she admitted sadly. "My dad's still overseas at whatever base he's located at, college doesn't start for another couple of months. I'm going to go to Yakima for a week or so to visit my granddad but apart from that," she shrugged weakly, "it's going to be a quiet summer for me."
"Quiet summer… probably a thing of the past now," he turned to Shelby and smiled at her; as they were sitting so close together their faces were mere inches apart but neither pulled back, "especially now that your next challenger has been decided."
"Really?" Carly was surprised, since there had been nothing about it on the channel.
"Yep," Shelby confirmed, as both she and Freddie turned to face his visitor, "everything was agreed yesterday so we're making the official announcement tomorrow on the news show."
"Well, who is it?" the smaller girl asked; she wouldn't have a clue who the girl was, as she didn't follow the sport at all, but she could at least tell Sam and get some information from the blonde.
"Here name is Marta Kuznetsova, Russian, nineteen, only one defeat in thirty fights so she's going to be a really tough contender," the fighter informed her.
"We've got plenty of tape on her, of course," Freddie took up, "and I'm looking to see what I can do with it to help dissect it and give us the best advantage we can get."
"Yes, that'll help but it's no substitute for good old hard work," Shelby flexed her right arm meaningfully. "There will be a lot of work-outs between now and fight night – and a lot more intensity to them," she added grimly.
Freddie looked a little uncomfortable at the thought. "I can barely keep up with you as it is."
"What do you mean, 'barely'?" she smiled playfully at him. "You can't keep up," she nudged his side with her elbow before leaning into him with a little more force than usual, as if to emphasise her point; the combination of the impacts caused them to lose their balance slightly and he caught her round the waist as he righted himself. He grinned while the battler laughed at their exchange, Carly did neither; instead she began to feel distinctly uncomfortable around them, so much so that she decided that it was time to leave not long after.
"Already?" Freddie asked in surprise.
"Yeah, I've uh…" she gestured towards the door with her thumb, "I've got to make sure Spencer hasn't burned the apartment down while I've been gone."
Freddie chuckled and nodded knowingly. "See you around Carls," he smiled as she picked up her jacket and headed for the door.
"Bye," she whispered and left, closing her eyes and sighing deeply and miserably as she stood alone in the hallway; she gave one last look at his closed door and headed for the elevator, thoughts turning over inside her mind.
"Wanna watch some more Celebs Underwater?" Shelby asked, reaching for the remote, privately not too upset that they were alone again.
"Sure," Freddie agreed, to her delight as she hoped it meant he wouldn't dwell on the departed brunette's behaviour, the looks she had thrown at him – at them. She made sure to use her proximity to her advantage and sat back, leaning idly against him as they watched the show. Had she been able to see the bewilderment that was coursing through his brain over the events of the last couple of hours then she may well have afforded herself a slightly broader smile.
Monday, 25th June 2012.
As usual Shelby called on Freddie just before 6:30 and the pair began their now habitual morning run. Freddie was slowly adapting to the routine and was more able to keep pace with the girl, though that could change with her needing to up her training now that a date had been set for her next fight.
"I'm in shape but I need to be in fight shape," she explained to her neighbour as they jogged around the park together; despite the exertion she wasn't even remotely struggling for breath. "So more cardio, higher intensity, more sparring, more everything I guess." She subconsciously licked her lips a little as she set her plan in action. "I'm thinking that we should add swimming to the schedule, y'know, use a few more muscles and in different ways, which will help tone them up for when I spar a bit more. Want to come along when we do?"
Freddie fought to avoid stumbling as his concentration drifted; he was used to the girl's form-fitting and somewhat skimpy attire from their gym sessions and these morning runs (particularly as it was the summer) but the thought of her in a swimsuit, or even better – he admitted to himself – a bikini, set his mind ablaze. "Sounds great, I used to love swimming when I was younger," he agreed eagerly, turning his eyes back to the path to make sure he didn't fall and embarrass himself in front of her.
"Great," she turned her head slightly and sped up, pulling slightly ahead of him to try and hide the broadness of her smile. Freddie was more than content to allow her to take the lead, as it permitted him to admire the view as he tailed her; he frowned as more than a hint of self-disgust crept into his thoughts, worsening his mood due to the way he was thinking about his friend – and boss.
The change to the boy's mood continued throughout the day and it was becoming a cause of concern to the fighter; she noticed once they were back home and hanging for the rest of the morning. She watched him through troubled eyes as he sat quietly while they watched whatever comedy it was that she'd stopped on after channel surfing. Shelby tried engaging him in conversation and, while he answered her questions, he sounded reserved and distracted and was unwilling to extend the discussions.
While Shelby was keen to find out what was up with him, part of her wasn't sure that she wanted to know the answer (maybe it's Carly, she speculated, mind filling with dread at the thought, maybe he's decided that he likes her and it's bothering him that he lives over here now and not across the hall from her). The girl decided that it was best not to dwell on it, and didn't want to risk asking the question, but instead she chose to see how the day went and maybe talk to him after the show that evening.
The show had gone off without a hitch; the challenger was announced and her strengths discussed at length. Freddie's main duty ahead of the show had been to cut clips of film together for them to talk about and they appreciated the work that he had done in putting it all together (he had also made a start on dissecting some of the footage so that they could analyse the Russian's weaknesses to see how best Shelby could exploit them). He remained, though, quiet, withdrawn and focussed on his tasks.
Finally, back in Freddie's apartment, Shelby could take it no more. He was still a little distant and hadn't been his enthusiastic self during their usual post-mortem on returning home.
"Ok, what's up?" she demanded; he opted for a polite but confused expression. "Don't play dumb, Freddie, because I know you're not," she continued, "but you've been quiet, distracted and distant all day. Why? Is it Carly?"
"What? No," he shot out, before suddenly realising that by answering at all he'd painted himself into a corner.
"So what is it?" she challenged.
"It's…" his eyes dropped to the table as he couldn't bear to look at her; shame was etched into every line on his face and every syllable he uttered as he continued, "this morning – when you were talking about swimming and… and…" he trailed off; Shelby waited patiently so he sighed and started again. "You took off and I was following behind and I…" he shrugged, "I was admiring the view." A delighted blush crept onto the girl's face as she processed his confession. "And I got to thinking about you in a swimsuit, you in your outfits for training and fighting and I… I shouldn't be thinking that way about my friend – and my boss," he concluded sadly. "I'm sorry."
He looked away, wallowing in his discomfort while she processed his words, feeling thankful that she clearly wasn't the only one with feelings that could complicate their burgeoning professional relationship and personal friendship, while she also felt flattered at the thought of him admiring her. She did the only thing that seemed to make sense to her and slipped her hand softly into his, massaging the back of it gently with her thumb. The tender gesture was the last thing he was expecting (he was bracing himself for a punch on the nose); he turned to her in amazement and saw the softness in her eyes as she drank in the vulnerabilities in his.
"You're not the only one who admires the view from time to time," she admitted, blushing again as she did, "you're very handsome Freddie. I like watching you work out, too, which is one of the reasons I want you to come running with me on a morning and want us to go swimming and stuff. I thought you might have figured that much out," she finished with an embarrassed grin of her own, one that he had to match.
"I guess I'm just not used to hot girls taking an interest," he admitted, "I don't exactly have much luck in that regard."
Shelby's eyes widened in amazement at his words. "It's true," he insisted, "the girls just ignore me time and again. At school… apart from when I was on crutches. Some of the fans of iCarly did like me," he thought back on the fan who had described him in flattering terms while encouraging him to get with Sam in Troubled Waters and also the ones at Webicon who had mobbed him, "but any girl I took an interest in? They didn't want to know – or," he wrinkled his nose in disgust at how Gibby had stolen Patrice from him, "or they trade up the first chance they get."
"I've been there," she nodded sympathetically; it was his turn to be amazed. "I'm Shelby Marx – fighter," she air-quoted the phrase. "That's what guys see, quite often that's all they see. Some are scared off by it, some like the idea of dating a fighter. Nobody wants to date Shelby though, they want to date the idea or the fighter but never the person," she lamented.
"Well I think you're a great person, Shel," he insisted, squeezing her hand a little firmer and covering her free one with his own; it was her turn to give him a grateful smile. "And I really like knowing the real you," he confirmed.
"Thanks Freddie," she told him softly. When he slackened his hold on her hand she pulled it from his grasp before wrapping her arms around him in a hug, one that he happily contributed to.
As the teenagers sat in one another's arms they could share a sense of relief that they shared an attraction and a belief that they could work through any awkwardness that came from it. In the light of their professional relationship, though, they also found themselves privately sharing a common thought as they asked themselves, what does this mean?
AN: Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed it and hope to have the next chapter up soon. PD.