AN: Hello and welcome to the last chapter of this story; I hope you've all had a good week. My thanks as always to those who read and reviewed the previous chapter; Twilight Warrior 627, Fanfic-reader-88 for his typically excellent and in-depth thoughts, Challenge King for suggesting the pairing in the first place, M.D.G.1986 and Jeremy Shane – my thanks to you all.


Benson Residence, Apartment 8-D, Bushwell Plaza

Seattle, WA

Thursday, June 30 2011.

Trina groaned as she awoke; she checked the time on one of the clocks dotted around the living area – shortly after 10 a.m. It made sense, she reasoned, that I slept so late… it was a late, long night. After arriving at the complex around eleven the previous night she, along with Carly, had sought to comfort Freddie after the boy had received the shattering news of his mother's slaying. His brunette neighbour had stayed there well into the night (along with her brother Spencer who came over when Carly passed the news on to him; Sam was conspicuous by her absence) until, around 4, Freddie had finally cried himself to sleep. The Bensons' lodger, T-Bo, had arrived at the apartment shortly after Trina; his first reaction to the news of Marissa's death was to wonder what it meant for him and his lease – a reaction that led to the Angelino girl chasing him into the Guest Room, where he remained for the rest of the night.

The Shay siblings had retired across the hallway once Freddie had fallen asleep (after Spencer first helped Trina to carry Freddie into his room where the girl tucked him tenderly into his bed). She then attempted to make herself as comfortable as possible on the couch in the main body of the apartment and slept reasonably well; she hadn't stirred when T-Bo had left for work that morning.

Checking her phone the elder Vega sister noticed a number of texts from her parents and Tori, checking up on her and, in the latter's case, informing her of the flight that she and her friends would be taking up to Seattle later that day. She scrolled through her contacts and placed a call.

"Hey mom," she began when her mother answered.

Asphalt Café, Hollywood Arts High School,

Los Angeles, California

Tori and the others sat glumly at their usual table by the elevated stage in the café. The half-Latina picked absently at her lunch, not feeling particularly hungry as her thoughts were with her sister and new friend a thousand miles north. Cat was in an unusually sombre mood and even Jade's demeanour lacked its usual bite and snippiness due to the malaise of the situation surrounding the brown-haired Seattle boy.

"So what time is our flight?" Robbie asked the singer.

"Five-fifteen," she answered, "so we'll need to head straight to the airport after we get out of here at three because traffic could be bad. I have our tickets right here and we don't need to check any baggage so that'll save us some time."

"Poor Freddie; how is he?" the red-head asked in a dull whisper. Tori, unused to seeing the normally ebullient girl looking so down placed a consoling hand on her forearm as she answered.

"Trina says he's obviously devastated about the whole thing. She and Carly are just sat with him making sure he's not alone at the moment."

Beck nodded; like the others he seemed completely at a loss for something to say. Instead he tried to force some more lunch down while Jade leaned against his shoulder, the couple taking comfort in one another's presence at this time.

The afternoon dragged on for the friends as they watched the clock feeling both useless while they weren't with the Seattle boy and sharing a view that the afternoon at school was pointless for them given their minds were clearly elsewhere. Eventually, however, the final bell rang and, after a quick stop at their lockers, Jade and Cat got into Beck's car, with Tori and Robbie getting into André's and the six making their way through the city's traffic to the airport, checking in and reaching the gate with a little time to spare before boarding, time Jade used to get coffee while Tori checked in with her sister and the others sat waiting for their flight to be called.

The teenagers arrived at Freddie's home around eight-thirty to be greeted by Trina as they knocked on the door.

"Hey sis," Tori began, giving the older girl a hug, "uh, how's it gone today?"

"How do you think?" her elder sister asked a little impatiently before taking a breath. "Sorry, I'm just a little tired; it was a late night. Freddie's asleep again right now but he's barely said a word all day." The girl edged to the side to grant the sextet entrance to the apartment where they saw Carly; like Cat she lacked her usual bubble and bright-eyed demeanour.

"Hey guys," the brunette greeted them, hugging each one in turn. Jade stiffened slightly when it was her turn but, maybe due to the situation, she refrained from comment or threat of bodily harm.

"I put a pot of coffee on…" Trina began, gesturing to the kitchen; Jade was in the small area before she could finish the sentence, searching it for crockery.

"Do we need more cups? I can get some from our apartment," Carly offered before bustling off.

The commotion roused a tired-looking Freddie and he emerged from his room rubbing his eyes and pushing a hand through his untidy hair. He looked around, momentarily surprised to see the gathering that was taking place in his living room; he hadn't realised it was so late. He wouldn't get an opportunity to comment as he was engulfed by the little red-haired girl a moment later.

"Freddie; I'm so, so sorry," she whispered morosely as she hugged him tight. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around her, taking comfort from her presence. Tori followed suit when Cat released him and even Jade took her turn while the guys contented themselves with consoling hands on his shoulders. Carly returned with her hands full of cups and with Spencer in tow and the group sat together supporting their bereaved friend.

Trina filled the newcomers in on the few events of the day so far. Carly had come over shortly after the Angelino woke up; they talked, mostly about Freddie and his mother, until the boy himself surfaced a little after eleven. Carly had prepared a brunch for them, taking most of the ingredients from her own home (rather than the stuff Mrs Benson had kept) and the two girls had practically force-fed Freddie his first meal since hearing the news. After that they had just sat with him in silence for a while until he had dozed off mid-afternoon and they had put him to bed again and continued their own conversation for a few more hours. Carly had been surprised by just how much she liked the company of the older girl, something she certainly wasn't expecting to feel just a couple of short weeks ago when she learned that the elder sister had taken something of a shine to Freddie, a shine that he seemed to reciprocate.

"What was she like?" Cat piped up all of a sudden, setting her coffee down on the table. All eyes turned to Freddie, with the Shays biting their lips to withhold any potentially inappropriate responses and giving him particularly guarded expressions as they wondered exactly how he would describe his late mother.

"She was…" he began slowly, seemingly deep in thought about how to formulate his words, "a health nut, she freaked over food, she fussed over everything, wanted to wrap me up and protect me from the world – including girls," she shot a sly side-along glance at Carly who gave a small grin. "But she was my mom and I loved her. I just… I can't believe she's never coming home again." He covered his face with his hands and a fresh batch of tears began to fall. Trina, sat next to him on the couch, put her arms around him in a flash and pulled him close again.

"Let it out Freddie," she whispered, "just let it all out."

Friday, July 1 2011

It was another long night for Trina. Having just slept away a bit of the day Freddie was sat up late into the night and his friends, fresh from their flight up to Seattle, soon began to feel the effects of their journey. The Shays managed to find a bed in the Guest Room for Jade and Cat (Sam would share Carly's room) while, at Freddie's insistence, Tori took his bed. He offered the room to Trina as well as the girl began to droop but she insisted on staying with him. Beck, Robbie and André were unsure where they would be staying but settled for couches, beanbags and easy chairs dotted around the Shay apartment.

Despite her fatigue Trina was determined to continue her efforts in keeping Freddie's spirits from descending further. She encouraged him to tell her stories of the happier times he and Marissa had shared, interspersing the reminisces with some of her own about her life with her family and how she was coming to a new equilibrium with them in the light of her adoption. The boy cracked a genuine smile at the news; he was happy that his friend's home life was getting back to some semblance of normal, even at the same time as his had fallen apart.

When the Shay household awoke in the morning the place was abuzz with teenager vying for the bathrooms and getting ready, in between trying to get a share of the breakfast Spencer made before Sam could devour it all. Her nonchalant attitude towards the reasons for the Angelinos arrival did not sit well with Jade; a glaring match threatened to break out between the two before Cat pointed out to her friend that they needed to get ready.

"Have you got something to wear?" Carly asked the blonde after the guests had gone upstairs.

"To what?" she returned, sounding genuinely confused.

"To Freddie's mom's funeral," the brunette explained with a tone that cried 'obviously'.

"I'm not going," Sam turned her attention back to the TV.

"What? Why not?" the other girl was shocked.

"I hated her; I'm not going to her funeral."

"But you have to – if nothing else then to support Freddie!"

"I hate him too," she spared her co-host a glance before resuming watching the television.

Carly's jaw dropped and she gawped at her best friend for a few seconds before shaking her head in disgust and making her way up to her room to get dressed.

Shortly before eleven the cars arrived to take the mourners to the church for the funeral service. Freddie, guided by Trina, led the way. The pair, along with Tori and Carly, got into the first car with Beck, Jade, Cat, Robbie and Andre getting into the second one. A third car took Freddie's aunts and their children, who had arrived that morning in Seattle and reached Bushwell Plaza around half an hour earlier.

The tech producer delivered a tearful but moving eulogy for his mother during the service and sat back down afterwards to receive a consoling hug from Trina. Marissa's sister was next to speak, sharing a couple of stories of their childhood and trying to lighten the mood with some of the happier and more amusing memories.

After the burial the party returned to the Benson apartment for a wake and something to eat; Spencer, along with Freddie's aunt, made a trip to one of the local restaurants to get some take-out for them all. It was another sombre affair but Freddie was glad of the support and company he was receiving from everyone and made a point to tell them that.

Late in the evening the gathering dispersed; the Shay's guests returned with the siblings across the hallway, where Sam experienced Carly's wrath in a verbal unloading about how she had abandoned Freddie in his time of need, something the blonde found herself able to brush off worryingly easily. Tori hovered uncertainly in the Benson living room as Freddie seemed ready to get some sleep himself.

"Tori?" the boy called to her. "Take my mom's room, please." He gestured to the room.

"Are you sure?" she asked tentatively. He nodded and guided her there.

He then gestured to Trina to take his room, straightening out the bedding for her and turning to leave the room to make himself comfortable on the couch. The brunette caught his arm as he passed and he stopped, turning to her with a quizzical look.

"We could share?" she offered, before amending in response to his raised eyebrows, "I mean, if you don't want to be alone and just need some company for the night."

He gave a wan smile and, after getting ready for bed, slid under the covers. Trina pulled him into a hug and he held her before falling asleep surprisingly quickly, but not before his latest batch of tears had soaked into her pyjama top. Once she was sure he was asleep the girl kissed the top of his head and extricated herself from his embrace, trying to get comfortable and fell asleep herself while holding his hand gently.

Saturday, July 2 2011.

Freddie awoke the next morning and opened his eyes to see two brown ones staring into them.

"Hey, how did you sleep?" Trina asked with a small smile, giving him a quick hug.

"Surprisingly well, thank you." He sat up quickly as she loosened her hold on him and got out of bed.

"Are you ok Freddie?" the girl asked in concern.

He held his head in his hands as he turned on the spot to face her. "I can't stay here – in Seattle I mean," he began. "There are too many reminders, too much pain. I… I don't know what I'm going to do but I know I can't stay here."

"You could come back with us to LA," she offered suddenly, a little shine lighting up her eyes. "You can stay with me and my family, at least for a little while while you figure things out. Maybe even enrol at Hollywood Arts until the end of the year; you'd already have some friends but it would also be a fresh start for you away from the pain and the memories."

He stood stock still for a few moments while he contemplated her words. The idea was impossible and yet irresistible. "I uh… wow Trina, that's a really generous offer. I need to give it some thought."

Trina nodded. "I don't fly back until tomorrow night. That's a little time to think it over and maybe decide to come back with us."

An urgent knocking on the front door curtailed the conversation. The man of the house made his way over and opened it, just as Tori emerged, looking a little sleep-deprived, from the master bedroom; she waved to her older sister and they non-verbally conversed on the events of the previous night; Tori widened her eyes slightly at the sight of Trina in the doorway of Freddie's room but the more rational part of her mind, along with the slightly scornful expression the older girl wore at the sight of the younger's raised eyebrows, dismissed the notion immediately from her mind that anything could have happened last night.

The opening door revealed Carly stood there with a tray in hand; behind her Spencer, the three boys and Jade also bore food and coffee while Cat held a mug but had used her free hand to knock on the door. Freddie invited the others in, fielding questions from his neighbour about how he was. They shared a pleasant breakfast, again Trina noted Sam's absence; it was something that seemed to be upsetting Carly.

"How are you really?" Carly asked, taking him to one side as the others cleared away the meal.

He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. He sighed sadly, knowing how much his words would upset her.

"I'm going to leave Seattle." Carly gasped at his announcement. "I just can't stay around here, in this department, looking around the place and seeing so much that will remind me of mom. It's only a year before I'd be gone for college anyway so I'm going to move things forward a bit and make a fresh start."

Carly blinked the new tears from her eyes that were beginning to form as she recovered from the shock of his news. She managed a little nod of her head. "Where will you go?" she breathed.

He gestured to their southern friends. "Trina has suggested I go back to LA with them and the idea's definitely appealing to me. To know some people there but not have," he spread his arms and looked around his home, "all this to remind me every day of what I've lost; it's definitely alluring."

The brunette pulled him into a hug. "I'm going to miss you so much," she whispered. "I'll come down over summer and visit you," the girl promised.

"I'd like that. I'd like that a lot," Freddie told her.

The boy sought out Trina a few minutes later as she and the others finished cleaning up.

"I have things to finish up here; this place and pack up…" he gestured around him, "my life, but if it's ok with your parents then LA sounds great, at least until I figure things out."

"I called them a few minutes ago and they said they'd be happy for you to come back with us and stay for a little while. Can Tori and I help you sort anything out?"

He nodded. "Let's make a start."


AN: And that's the end of this story. I really don't know about a continuation/sequel, as I'm wary of it just being a rehash of the other 'Freddie in LA' stories that I and others have already done, but thank you very much for reading and I do hope that you have all enjoyed this story and this slightly unconventional pairing. PD.