I'm baaaack! So sorry I had to put this on hiatus for awhile, but school is very demanding this year.

So we've got some Paul Simon and (big) A:TLA references here...

In honor of a troubled friend

Freddie's POV

'Well, I better go find her.' I thought. I sighed, for this was not an easy task. Sam could fail many things; finding a place to hide was not one of them. I put on my jacket on and left for Sam's house. It was the last place she'd every want to go, but it couldn't hurt to check it out.

Spencer's POV

I was near a street somehow. Where was I? I look at a near by street sign, and then at the time on the bank building. No...it couldn't be. I was dreaming, I had to be. I saw Carly was crossing the...street. The realization hit me, and I gasped, she was going to die right in front of me?

I tried to move, but was immediately surrounded by a ring of fire. Everything went black, and I heard a scream.

Suddenly, was in Mt. Baker National forest. I heard rustling in the trees, and snapped my head around. I was then eye to eye a white translucent white figure, that looked just like Carly.

'I'm dreaming, I hit my head, it's a mirage...' I thought.

'...You didn't protect me...' Her voices echoed right through me.

I shot up from my bed. Okay, this moving on from the feelings of hate and remorse thing wasn't working out, but I guess still I'll try. I sighed. This was easier said than done.

Freddie's POV

I took a deep breath and knocked on the Puckett resident's door. Pam Puckett opened the door, looking intimidating.

"Uh, Hi, Ms. Puckett. Is Sam around?" I asked nervously. I hoped she didn't notice, but her eyes told me I had set something off.

"Oh how should I know? She's always coming in and out of this place, I can't even keep up anymore."

I tried to think of something to respond with, but she spoke again before I could.

" Hey kid, sorry I was a bit off last time I saw ya'. My boyfriend cut me loose and, well, heaven knows what happens to me then..." She had a bit of a sly grin on her face. I tried shove it off.

"That's, um, okay...anyway, so you have no idea where she could be?"

She scoffed,"Oh please, I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't even come back."

This was going nowhere, not mention very awkward.

She started talking again. "I do know that she's been staying with you, am I right?"

"Y-yes, why?" I was getting nervous again. Where was she going with this?

"Let's just say, be careful" She winked. I didn't even want to know what she was thinking about. I politely backed down the steps, and got into my car. Next stop, Groovy Smoothie.

I arrived at the Groovy Smoothie, and made a B-line to T-bo. He was sliding Papayas on a stick, when I spoke to him at the counter.

"Hey, T-bo, has Sam been in here?"

"'Ya know, against my policy to reveal the where-abouts of my customers." He said, acting offend. All I could do is stare in disbelief and pinch the bridge of my nose. He, then, started laughing.

"Nah, I'm just messin' with ya'!" T-bo said, shoving my shoulder slightly.

"Ok then, so you haven't seen her." I asked this, about to walk out the door.

"Not since I pushed her off the chairs in the front this morning" He stated nonchalantly.

I whipped my head around.

"Wait, what? Why'd you do that? Where'd you push her off to?

"Hey, I can't have people thinking he have a hobo problem! What kind of business do you think I'm running!"

"Ugh, whatever, thanks T-bo!" With that, I took off running in the other direction.

"Wait! You wanna buy a papaya?" I shook my head, and kept going.

I looked at my watch, once outside and I began to do the math in my head.

"Okay, she left at around 9 last night, the Groovy Smoothie opens at 8, that means she was out for 11 hours, minus the 10 she was probably sleeping. Okay, she was on her own for an hour. How much damage could she do in an hour?"

I walked over towards the alley near where my car was parked, and that's when I noticed a figure in the alley. My heart broke at the sight...it was Sam. Blood on her face and arm, only slightly conscious. I ran to her side, my knees sliding on the ground next to her. She shuddered slightly as I checked her pulse that was almost normal.

What should I do? Call my mom? She would know what to do. Or maybe the hospital would be faster.

Sam's POV

I felt someone come around me. I shuddered, as I wanted to run but didn't have the strength. Everything around me was still blurry, I couldn't think, and I couldn't feel. Suddenly, I felt I was lifted up unexpectedly, and the face looking back down at me, smiled reassuringly.

Freddie's POV

I picked her up carefully. She moaned a bit, but I tried to smile to let her know it would be okay. I put her into my car, and drove as fast as I could to the hospital. My mom had good friends there that knew me well enough, so if I was lucky, I wouldn't have to wait. In the mean time, I phoned Spencer to meet me at the ER. Her eyes were only slightly open. I didn't know very much first aid, but I knew she could slip into a coma if she hurt herself badly enough, therefore, needed to get to the ER fast, and I mean fast.

'Just keep your eyes on the road, and nothing can go wrong' I told myself. I then noticed her eyes start closing, and immediately shook her shoulder.

"Sam, you have to stay awake." I said, assertively.

At the ER

By the time we were in, Spencer was already sitting in the waiting room. As I walked in, he immediately shot up.

"What's going on? What happened? Is she okay?" Spencer pushed all his questions on me, that I didn't know the answers to.

"I don't know, I just found her like this!"

"Oh god." Spencer said, then proceeded to talk the women at the front desk. He soon motioned me to bring Sam over, and put her on a stretcher. A nurse wheeled her into a nearby room, and told us to wait.

Spencer's POV

The man I was sitting next to in the waiting room tapped me on the shoulder.

"That blonde girl your daughter?" I looked confused for a moment and answered.

"Oh no, just a friend"

"Oh well, that explains why you were so distressed." He looked down at the floor. Normally, I would have said nothing, but I could tell this man was genuine, and that's something I wasn't even sure still existed.

"Yeah well, something happened to someone else I love. I'm not going to let anything like that happen ever again." I don't know what it was about this man, but you just wanted to tell him your life story.

"Tell me about it." He looked with compassion, as I told him the story of...everything.

Freddie's POV

I sat back down in one of the chairs, head in hand. This was all too disturbing. I mean, I know she was upset, but I thought she was getting better. How could I not realize she was suicidal? How long had she been doing this? These questions swirled in my head for a long time. I tried hard to focus on something else, anything, but I couldn't help but wonder what was going on down in that room Sam was taken into. I began to think of ways to find out.

'Maybe I could get down the hall to find out what was going on...No, you needed something wrong with you.' I sighed. What if this was my fault? Then it hit me, and I remembered the last thing I said to her.

"I definetly don't know where you would be. Your mother would have killed you by now!'

I cringed a bit at the thought. She almost killed herself, and it might have been because of me...it was a scary thought. Now what was I suppose to do when I saw her?

I groaned, head in hands. Carly would have know what to do.

Spencer's POV

I had finished my story, explaining why I was feeling so troubled lately.

"I thought you said you talked this out with your friend." The man stated.

"I tried but, it was too hard. I'm just sick of causing other people pain, with my pain."

"I think if they bothered to care in the first place, they would stay with you, even in pain."

"But, I don't want them to! This is my problem, not theirs!"

"There's nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you."

"Well, I'm running out of those kinds of people."

"Are you sure? It sounds like there are a few people who would be willing to listen to you."

I thought about that last statement. What he was saying was making sense.

"So why are you in here, anyway?"

"My nephew is here."

" Why? Is he hurt?" The man looked away.

"Yes, alittle. He doesn't know I'm here." I looked at him, confused, and he started speaking again.

"I know he doesn't want me around right now, but if he should ever need me, I'll be there." He smiled a bit. I then heard a women call me. I lifted my head to see the front lady motioning over to the front desk. I got up, and saw Freddie did too.

"You can go in that room and see Ms. Puckett if you like. One at a time please." She said, and went back to shuffling papers.

I let Freddie go before me, and, out of the corner of my eye, saw a boy with a scar on his face and tears in his eyes, in the arms of the man I was talking with.

Freddie's POV

I took a deep breath, then opened the door slightly. I looked in and saw Sam awake, wrist bandaged, and talking to a nurse. I decided I wouldn't disturb their conversation, and wait for them to finish.

"So that boy brought you in." The nurse told her. I felt a sense of pride that they were talking about me in that way.

"Yeah Freddie did."

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"Oh no, just a really good friend." Wow, no gagging noises, no 'HELL NO'? I guess she appreciated me more than I thought.

"He certainly is...He saved your life, you know." She didn't say anything, and the nurse started speaking again.

"Your very lucky to have had him."

"Yeah, I know I am." She smiled a bit, as if queueing me to come in. I cleared my throat to get her attention, and she looked up me with a surprised wide eye. Without a thought, I went over, and hugged her tightly, and to my surprise, she hugged me back.

"I'm sorry about what I said, I went way too far." I said quietly.

"You saved my life, I think you made up for it." I smiled a bit at that.

"I wouldn't have needed to, if I hadn't said what I said." I mumbled.

" Look, it wasn't just you. It was everything that just kinda got on top of me. I felt like no one cared about me, and I had nobody."

"Well, you'll always have me." I said, now looking in her eyes. I put my hand over hers, and, before I knew it, kissed her.

And thus Seddie has landed! Think of it as a holiday present from me :) Three cheers for a terrible ending!

So shall this fic end here? If not, ideas please.