Bells
Cat stepped out of the club and breathed a sigh of relief as the cold night air washed over her. It was too crowded and sweaty inside and to be honest she was completely exhausted. But she couldn't let her friends down, so she agreed to the hen do. She was now clad in her white strap top that read 'HEN HOUSE' in big red letters, white shorts, a red tutu and red heels. Every member of the party also had red springy boppers on their head. Cat looked in her compact mirror and groaned when she saw that her cheeks were the same colour as her tutu. She reapplied some make up whilst muttering under her breath. A shiver involuntarily crept up her body, the night air not being as warm as she'd have liked.
"If you dressed properly then you wouldn't be cold" she heard a voice jokingly say.
She looked up from her mirror to see Robbie stood a few feet down the road. He was wearing a white tee with a familiar face splayed across the front, black jeans and a black denim jacket. His hair was still a bit bed messy and Cat had to admit he looked hot. He walked towards her and pulled her into a hug, warmth flooding her body. She sighed contentedly and Robbie chuckled.
"Better?" he said, kissing her hair.
"Better" she admitted. "But it would be even better if we could just spend the night snuggled up watching movies".
"We have a duty as hens and stags."
"Stupid wedding rules" Cat muttered under her breath.
"Hey, soon it's just going to be us two again" Robbie said, leaning down to kiss her.
"Heaven" Cat whispered against his lips.
"Cat, c'mon!" she heard Jade yell from inside the club. She groaned and leaned against Robbie's chest, eyes closed.
"Your party is calling" Robbie said, chuckling again. "Go on, you're going to have fun."
"I doubt it. But if I don't reappear then Jade will hunt me down."
"Go. Dance." Robbie said, giving her one last kiss and turning and walking away. Cat walked back towards the club and stopped.
"Hey" she shouted, causing Robbie to turn around and look at her. "No strippers!"
"No promises" he said, winking. "I'll see you tomorrow. At the church, right?"
Cat just shook her head and walked back to the club, a smile on her face.
Cat took a deep breath and readjusted her dress.
"The big day has arrived" the girl next to her said. She had light skin and dark hair.
"Yeah" Cat said, almost distant.
"Nervous?" the girl asked. Cat nodded, smiling slightly. "It's going to be fine" the girl said, smiling and actually reassuring Cat a bit.
Suddenly, a piano began to play and the big wooden doors in front of them creaked. They began to open and Cat took a deep breath, ready to take her first step forward. The music began to play and she walked perfectly in time with the girl next to her. She scanned the room and when her eyes locked with Robbie's, she immediately relaxed. A smile flooded her face and she actually began to enjoy herself. She stood to the left and turned to see the bride arrive.
Sam Puckett sure could scrub up well. She had a white dress that reached the floor, quite plain and not girly, much to Carly's dismay. She was wearing white converse and her hair fell around her shoulders in loose curls. In Freddie's eyes, she was the only person in the room. Carly and Cat were her bridesmaids, Carly also being her maid of honour. They were both wearing blue dresses and had their hair in up-do's. Spencer had given Sam away, since she never really knew her dad.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today…."
Cat smiled with tears in her eyes as Freddie and Sam now enjoyed their first dance as a married couple. Sam had been her room mate when she spent her year in New York, and also helped when Cat was recovering from her stint in hospital. The Hollywood Arts gang and the iCarly gang had met at Keenan Thompson's party and had stayed close friends since then. So naturally everyone was present at Seddie's wedding.
"You okay?" Cat heard someone whisper, causing a shiver up her spine.
"Yeah, just happy for them" Cat said, grabbing Robbie's hand.
"That'll be us soon" Robbie said. "Want to get in some practice?"
"What?" Cat asked him, baffled.
He walked away from her a bit and then turned around to face her. "Miss Valentine, can I have this dance?" he asked, extending his right hand. She gave him her left hand so he could see the engagement ring again and he led her to the dance floor. He pulled her close and put his arms around her waist, leaning down and putting his head on her shoulder. She linked her arms around his neck and lent her head on his shoulder, facing his neck. They both sighed contentedly, happy in each other's arms.
Once they had finished dancing, they went over to the bar. They needed a buzz of some alcohol. They had flown to Seattle the day before because they were working until the very last minute. They were jet lagged and exhausted, and needed a pick-me-up. Cat ordered a pink champagne and Robbie ordered a beer. They were toasting marriage when Cat saw something over Robbie's shoulder which caused her jaw to drop and her to almost drop her glass. Robbie was curious as to what provoked such a reaction and turned around to see. He reacted in the same way. Stood before them was none other than Ruby Sliffer.
"Oh my god" Cat said, which caught Ruby's attention. She turned to look at them and a huge smile grew on her face.
"Robbie Shapiro?!" she exclaimed happily, hugging him.
"Hi" he said, responding to the hug. Cat looked down, her stomach doing cartwheels.
"What are you guys doing here?" Ruby asked, smiling at them both.
"We could ask you the same question" Robbie said, grinning.
"I'm going to go and see Jade quickly" Cat said, jumping up and rushing off before Robbie could stop her.
"Well Sam's my cousin. She's the one I was visiting when we first met" Ruby explained. "Why are you here?"
"We all met at a party years ago and Cat and Sam lived together for a while."
"Oh that's cool. I'm just glad she finally plucked up the courage to get over her pride and admit she loved Freddie."
"I remember Cat telling me about that. Apparently he turned up on their doorstep one day worried sick. Sam had just disappeared from Seattle. He professed his love. The rest is history."
"He's the only guy who could give Sam Puckett a big romantic gesture and live to tell the tale."
"He's done more than that. He's made her Sam Benson. Speaking of which, I must go and find Cat. No doubt she'll be blubbing in a corner somewhere. She's a hopeless romantic" Robbie said, beginning to leave.
"Okay, we have to meet up sometime!" Ruby said, before getting her drink and walking away.
Robbie had been walking around the hotel where the wedding reception was held for about an hour, but nobody had seen Cat. He was about to try her phone again when Jade ran up to him, out of breath.
"Just had a phone call…from a store across the street…Cat was seen…buying alcohol and they…kept her there…apparently she's in a bad way" Jade said, panting.
Robbie froze and his blood ran cold. He could see Jade talking but he couldn't hear anything she was saying. He snapped back to reality and bolted out of the hotel, a worried Jade on his heels. He ran into the shop and his heart stopped. There sat in the corner of the shop was Cat, a bottle of vodka in her hands.
She had clearly been crying and her make up had all run. She had taken her heels off and they were scattered around her and various curls had fallen out of her up-do.
"Cat?" Robbie said quietly, shaking.
"Robbie?" her head snapped up at his voice. She shakily stood up, swatting Jade's hand away when she tried to help. "Come to join the party!" she cheered, holding up the bottle.
"No, I've come to get you. We're leaving" Robbie said trying to snatch the bottle.
"I'm not going anywhere! Come on Jadey, I know you like a boogie" Cat said, wiggling her shoulders.
"Cat. Put that bottle down and stop acting like a tart" Jade snapped.
"You two are so BORING!" Cat shouted. "I'm going to find someone fun to party with!" She pushed past them and rushed out the shop, leaving her shoes behind but not forgetting the bottle.
Robbie sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. It was like his birthday all over again. He and Jade exchanged worried looks before rushing out of the shop. Robbie quickly rushed back in and shoved a $30 bill the owner's hand.
"It only cost $17" he explained.
"I know. The extra is me begging that you won't say anything about this. It could completely ruin everything for us" Robbie said desperately. The owner looked in his eyes and could see nothing but love for the girl who was currently dancing around outside. He returned the money and smiled at the boy who was so young yet so mature.
"Look after her. I promise it'll be our little secret" the owner said, pushing Robbie towards the door."
Robbie nodded his thanks and then rushed out the door to see Cat spinning with the bottle and Jade with tears in her eyes. Rage washed through Robbie and he walked up to Cat, yanking the bottle out of her hands.
"Robbie…what you doing?" Cat whined.
"Cat. What are you doing?! Why are you drinking so much? I thought things were better now?" Robbie yelled.
"There's nothing wrong! I'm just having fun! Why is that so bad?"
"You can have fun without being completely off your face!"
"When have you cared about me drinking? You bought me my first drink!"
"I bought you 1 glass of champagne! And I've always cared about your drinking. Probably because last time you were heavily drinking you cheated on me!" Cat gasped, Robbie had struck a nerve with that comment.
"Well if you're so worried about me cheating on you then why have you bothered staying with me in the first place?" she yelled.
"Because I'm in love with you!" he answered.
"Well you can't have a proper relationship without any trust and you clearly don't trust me so!" Cat pulled off her engagement ring and threw it at Robbie, who instantly felt numb as soon as the ring left her finger. Cat stormed off, barefoot and Robbie walked off the other way, putting the ring in his pocket.
"Cat?! Robbie?! What are you doing?! Don't be stupid! GUYS?!" Jade yelled frantically. But it was useless, neither of them were listening. Jade burst into tears and ran inside to find Beck.
Robbie was sat on a bench, twiddling the engagement ring between his fingers.
"Hey, I heard about Cat" he heard a voice say. He looked up to see Freddie Benson there, clad in his suit.
"Crap. I bet it's all over the internet. Cat Valentine is no longer getting married to Robbie Shapiro. She's going to marry her drummer or something" Robbie said flatly.
"Nope. Jade told me" Freddie told him. "Sam was worried about Cat so Jade told her what happened. They've both gone to find her."
"I basically told her that I don't trust her to be near alcohol."
"No you didn't. She got very drunk and Sam reckons that she freaked out because of Ruby."
"You know about Ruby?!"
"Yeah, her and Sam are like sisters. Tell each other everything."
"Well I broke Cat's heart. She ditched me completely" Robbie said, showing Freddie the ring. Freddie smiled and patted a shocked Robbie on the back.
"Dude, if I gave up every time Sam threw her engagement ring at me, I would have been 'heartbroken' 13 times in the past 6 months!" Freddie said, laughing. "Just remember that Cat was drunk. When she's sobered up a bit, talk to her calmly. You can't give all this up, you two have been through way too much to just give up now. Do you love her?"
"Yeah" Robbie said.
"Then that's all you need" Freddie said, patting his leg and walking off.
"Freddie?" Robbie called out just before he went into the hotel.
"Yeah?" Freddie said, turning back.
"Thanks. And congratulations. I always preferred Seddie over Creddie" Robbie said, winking. Freddie laughed and waved at Robbie, walking back into the hotel.
Robbie looked at the ring in his hand and sighed, feeling guilty for shouting at Cat. He heard the familiar sinister music that signalled Jade texting him, and retrieved his phone from his pocket.
*From: Jade*
*We found Cat and dragged her back to your hotel room. I stayed but managed to persuade Sam to go back to her husband. Cat's a mess, I can't get her to stop crying. She also vomited a couple times. Help. Xxxxxxxxx*
Robbie hesitantly opened the door to his hotel room. He stepped in and heard loud sobs and noises of reassurance coming from the en-suite bathroom.
"He h-hates me!" Cat wailed loudly, sobbing. "I called off the engagement!" Cat's loud sobs were breaking Robbie's heart. He stood outside the closed bathroom door and listened to Jade trying to comfort her friend. It wasn't working. Cat was tired, drunk and panicking and it made her a wreck.
Robbie couldn't handle the torture anymore and knocked on the door 3 times. He heard shuffling and Jade opened the door slightly. As soon as she saw Robbie, she let out a sigh of relief. She opened the door and stepped to the side and Robbie's eyes fell on Cat. Her red hair had fallen all over the place, her make up had all run and she was strikingly pale. But that's not what shook Robbie the most. It was the fact that she was curled in the corner, tears streaming down her face. She hadn't looked up when he walked in the door, and his heart rate began to increase.
"Cat?" Robbie said quietly. She still didn't respond and Robbie turned to look at Jade who had silently snuck out of the room.
"Cat?" Robbie said. Still no response. "Cat please, I'm worried about you."
Robbie sat down in front of Cat and put a finger under her chin, lifting her head up to look into her eyes.
"Cat" he said, one last time. She lifted her red rimmed, damp eyes and her face screwed up as she began to cry.
"Robbie. I'm so s-sorry. I know you probably don't want me back but I just want to say that I love you and I'm sorry for ruining everything." Cat wailed.
"I love you Cat. Nothing you do is going to make me stop. I'm marrying you whether you like it or not, and I promise that I'm going to take care of you" Robbie said, sincerely. Cat sobbed even louder and fell into Robbie's open arms, crying and shaking on his shoulder. When she had completely exhausted herself and run out of tears, Robbie carried her to the bed and curled up around her, determined to protect her from whatever it was that caused her to drink so much that night.
The next morning, Cat got up early despite feeling utterly crap. News had reached them that Sam refused to leave for her honeymoon until she got the chance to speak to Cat. They had gone off together that morning whilst Robbie and Freddie rearranged the honeymoon, so that they could leave later that day. Cat and Sam went to a smoothie bar in the area, the Groovy Smoothie, and Cat poured her heart out.
"I'm so sorry for getting like that when it's your special day. I hope I didn't ruin stuff too much" Cat said, nervously chewing on the ends of her red hair.
"It doesn't matter" Sam said with a wave of her hand. "I just want to know why. What happened that made you get so drunk?"
"I saw Ruby and just…freaked out, I guess" Cat said, covering her face with her hands.
"Well I figured that would be the answer. So I got something for you" Sam said, gesturing towards the door to the Groovy Smoothie. Ruby had just walked in, looking around. She saw Sam and walked over to the table.
"Sammy, hey!" Ruby said, hugging her. "Hi Cat" she said, a blanket of awkwardness falling over the table.
"So, I'm going to go and see how the guys are doing with the honeymoon plans. You two, TALK" Sam said sternly before getting up and leaving the table.
"First off, I really want to apologise for stealing Robbie all those years ago. I tried so hard to persuade him to go to England with you but he wouldn't listen to me and I just-"
"Cat, it's fine" Ruby cut off Cat's twittering. "I should thank you really."
"Thank me?" Cat asked in complete disbelief.
"Yeah. If Robbie hadn't left me on my own then I wouldn't have been looking at my phone and trying to find somebody to pick me up and I wouldn't have walked straight into Gibby. And if I hadn't walked straight into Gibby then we wouldn't have gotten married a couple of weeks ago" Ruby explained, with a huge grin on her face and holding up her left hand to reveal a thin silver band.
"You married Gibby?!" Cat asked in disbelief, mouth hanging open.
"Yeah, it was love at first sight. Dead romantic to bump into each other in an airport right?" Ruby said, with a look of pure happiness in her eyes.
"So now you're…?"
"Ruby Gibson" she confirmed. "So you want to tell me what freaked you out so much last night?" Ruby asked quietly.
"You and Robbie had a history of being together and when he left you it was just when I had gotten out of hospital and I worried that as soon as he saw you again he would realise he was just feeling sorry for me and go back to you" Cat said, fiddling with her hair.
"Cat" Ruby said, grabbing her hands. "Robbie loves you. He always has and he always will. Even when we were together I knew he loved you, I just chose to ignore it. He is going to marry you and it's going to make him the happiest man on earth, I just know it. Please don't worry about me and Robbie being together, it will never happen again. I love Gibby 1000 times more than I could ever love Robbie and I want to be with him forever. You and Robbie are meant to be together, that's why you keep overcoming everything bad that happens to you. It's destiny."
Cat, Robbie, Sam, Freddie, Ruby and Gibby were all at the Seattle airport. Cat and Robbie were heading back to LA, Sam and Freddie were off to Jamaica for their honeymoon and Ruby and Gibby were going home to where they lived in London.
"You're sure you're going to be okay?" Sam asked Cat.
"Yes, I'll be fine. It's obvious that Ruby loves Gibby more than anything and I completely trust Robbie. I know I've got nothing to worry about. And neither do you. So go enjoy your honeymoon!" Cat replied, nudging Sam's shoulder.
"I can worry about how a cousin of mine could love and be married to that potato sack" Sam said, gesturing to where Gibby and Ruby were smiling together.
"At least I didn't marry a tech geek" Ruby shouted, not even looking at them and still fully focusing on her husband.
"But he's a hot tech geek!" Sam countered.
"Well he's a hot potato sack!" Ruby replied. It was true. Gibby had buffed up loads and was playing a sport called rugby in England, similar to American football.
"Flight 340 to Heathrow Airport, boarding" the talloy said.
"That's us!" Ruby said, jumping up. Gibby grabbed all of their bags and headed towards the plane, waving goodbye to everyone and making rude and suggestive gestures towards Freddie.
"Bye Sammy. Tell me as soon as you're pregnant" Ruby said bluntly, hugging her then turning to Cat. "Remember how much he loves you." She gestured to Robbie who was asleep on a chair, exhausted after recent events. "You are his one and only and you are the one he's going to marry." With a wave, Ruby was rushing after her husband to board their plane and go home.
Not long after, Sam and Freddie's flight was called and they said their goodbyes to Cat, promising to meet up and talk about the honeymoon when they got back. Then they were gone, leaving just Cat and Robbie alone at the airport. Cat walked over to Robbie's sleeping figure and lifted his head up so she could sit down and put his head in her lap. Running her fingers through his hair, she leant down and kissed his cheek.
"I love you, to the end of the earth and back" she murmured, before kissing him again.
AN: I know, you probably hate me for getting your hopes up at the start of the chapter. If it wasn't clear then that was Sam and Freddie's wedding and Sam and Freddie's stag/hen do's at the beginning. Cat and Robbie aren't married yet but I can promise you that the next chapter WILL BE their wedding. I PROMISE.
Thanks to all my reviewers, I love you so much. More than Robbie loves Cat. R&R!
chuckyshmucky -xo