Time had a puzzling way of being able to move both excruciatingly slowly and at lightning speed and Carly couldn't keep up. She was now only three short weeks away from the divorce being finalised and she felt as though the date was speeding towards her, but she also felt as though she had lived an entire life in the past two months.

At least, if she was trying to be optimistic about it, she could say that the two months since finally admitting to herself that she was painfully in love with her best friend had been character building. It had been difficult at first and any mention of, or interaction with, Izzy had her acting in ways that she would later regret. Sitting around and pretending she was fine had been incredibly difficult.

There had been times when her behaviour had been petty to say the least. Like the afternoon when she and Freddie had been in the middle of a conversation and he had answered a phone call from Izzy; Carly couldn't stop herself, she waited just a moment, in case he hung up quickly, but then she turned and walked out of the room. Every piece of logic that she still had inside of her was screaming that she was being over the top, jealous, ridiculous. But her heart won out over her brain and her legs carried her all the way out the door and back to her apartment.

She had done stupid things like that a fair bit at first, but as she began to accept the situation she was able to return to her usual - or at least mostly usual- self.

And then she had noticed something. Freddie had kept Izzy around for two months but he never referred to her as his girlfriend. She never caught them sneaking kisses when they thought no one was looking or spending night after night at each others apartments. This knowledge made her happy in the pettiest of ways.

Carly had known Freddie for a long time, she had seen him through relationships, watched him fall in and out of love and he and Izzy didn't have the same spark. He simply wasn't smitten the way he had been when he had met either one of his wives… or heck, even his high school relationship with Sam. Izzy was simply a detour.

"Aaaand you're clear," Freddie said as he stared at his laptop screen, wrapping their Saturday arfternoon live stream.

"Great." Carly threw the giant cocktail umbrella she had been using for her final skit to the side and walked towards Freddie. "How did today go, what are people saying?"

"People think we're a shoo in for the web award nominations on Friday." He shrugged, a small grin indicating his excitement bubbling just beneath the surface.

Carly crossed the room and stood behind him, watching as he scrolled through comments, seeing the usual praise mixed in with the occasional troll pulling her webcast to pieces and a string of now incredibly familiar and insistent comments.

When will we get to see Freddie again?

Oh my god, congrats on getting married guys.

When will we get to hear about the wedding?

Why so secretive? We all know the truth.

I heard they already broke up, Freddie only knows how to get divorced anyway.

I don't know what he sees in her, he could do so much better.

Ahhh, they're the cutest couple.

"You know, same old same old," Freddie pointed at the screen, standing slightly to the side so that Carly could get a better look.

"And the new segment?" Carly asked, ignoring the comments about them.

"It was pretty popular, definitely worth bringing back," he said.

"Ok, I guess we should pack up then."

"Right," Freddie hesitated, glancing at the screen again. "You know the comments about us are increasing every week?"

"So?" Carly turned her back on him and made herself busy straightening the prop table, she didn't want him to see any slight change in her face as he broached the topic, she would prefer if he didn't broach the topic at all.

"So, people are excited, curious," he watched her, waiting for some sort of reaction. "They think we're happily married, we need to clear things up."

Carly took a breath, collecting herself before she turned around again, her arms crossed casually across her chest. "But we are happily married," she teased.

Freddie rolled his eyes. "Being happy and married is not the same thing as being happily married."

Carly's heart sunk for just a moment before she caught herself and refused to give into her emotions. She didn't even know if she was happy anymore, and Freddie's assumption that she was took her by surprise. Before she had a chance to think about her feelings Freddie had come to stand beside her again.

"Every time I go out with Izzy I always spot at least one person throwing us dirty looks, people are going to realise that something isn't right eventually. We need to make an announcement," he said.

Cary huffed, her shoulders slumping slightly as her fingers reached for the ring she had worn around her neck every day since Vegas. She caught herself, remembering Freddie was present and settled with resting her hand over her heart instead. Realistically she knew that making an announcement didn't change their situation, but it felt like acceptance that nothing was real and she wasn't ready for that just yet.

"After the divorce," she sighed, before catching herself and continuing in an upbeat tone. "Once every things done we can do a whole show on it, it'll be a funny story, people will eat it right up."

"Like an online divorce party?" Freddie asked sceptically.

"Exactly!" Carly jumped in excitement. "We can make it a whole thing, advertise a special announcement, decorate the studio with cheesy balloons and streamers. Bring Harper on to retell her side of the story…"

Carly was overcompensating, trying desperately to take advantage of an event which was eating her up inside.

"Sure," Freddie said, shrugging. "What's three more weeks of speculation? Speaking of announcements, you coming by mine or am I going by yours on Friday to watch the nominations?"

Carly raised an amused eyebrows at him. "Is that even a question? Watching with your mom in the next room? Or Harper?"

"Point taken."

They both wordlessly went about their normal pack up routine as Carly occasionally snuck glances at him. She tried not to read into why he was so keen to announce to the world that they weren't together and reminded herself that she was the one needlessly prolonging their situation. Just as they were ready to leave for the day she watched as Freddie's phone buzzed, he reached into his pocket and read the text.

"Izzy," he explained, glancing at her.

After typing out a response and pocketing the phone he turned on her, watching her carefully.

"Speaking of which," he said. "You haven't been on a single date since Vegas. What gives? You normally have some new guy every week."

Carly thought for a moment she had seen a flash of jealousy in his eyes as he made the dig at her but swiftly reminded herself not to over analyse things. She pursed her lips, thinking.

"I've just been laying low," she suggested, the excuse forming itself as she spoke. "You know, with everything getting out to the media and the fans and… it just made sense to keep to myself for a while, not add to speculation."

"Yeah," Freddie nodded. "That makes sense."

They stood before each other quietly, unsure of what to say next.

"Right," Freddie said eventually. "I'm running late, I should go."

He reached forward and wrapped his arms around her in a hug and Carly held on for just a second longer then she normally allowed herself.

"See ya."

"See ya," Carly repeated as she watched him leave.

Freddie got to Izzy's place fifteen minutes late, he was meant to be picking her up before heading to a new restaurant she had mentioned wanting to try.

"Sorry," he said as she opened the door. "Was just wrapping up after today's iCarly, you ready to go?"

"I'll just grab my jacket." Izzy left the door open and disappeared down the hall, Freddie stepped inside the apartment and closed the door behind him.

"Actually," Freddie said, as Izzy emerged from her bedroom with jacket in hand. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," she indicated towards her couch with a lazy hand.

Freddie followed her direction and slumped into the seat. "Carly and I were chatting about, everything." He kept his words vague, not wanting to blatantly name the situation. "We're going to come clean with the truth after everything is settled but there are fans who have seen you and I together and I just thought, we should probably keep things low key in public in the mean time."

"Right," Izzy said, her eyes squinting slightly as she watched him. "You want to lay low to protect your fake relationship."

"No, that's not what I'm…"

"Yes it is."

Freddie hung his head a slightly, avoiding her gaze, how could he explain this properly.

"Look at me."

Freddie sighed and looked up, he had a bad feeling and he wasn't really in the mood for an argument.

"We've had fun together but I think we're both kidding ourselves if we think this has been anything more then a few hookups and dates." She told him.

She was right of course, Izzy was attractive, smart and funny and having someone he could turn to for his, uh, more adult needs was convenient and lots of fun but his heart wasn't set on her. He didn't have any plans for the future that involved her and if he was to never see her again he would move on quickly.

But she had been just as willing. There had been an unspoken agreement that they weren't serious, that they were simply a fling, that they both benefited from casually dating.

"I get it," she said "there's nothing wrong with wanting casual, but I'm starting to feel less like I'm having fun and more like this is a waste of time."

"It wasn't a waste of time for me," he told her. "You're the first person I've really dated since my ex wife and I think I needed something a bit more carefree for a while, instead of getting wrapped up in hard and fast and intense all over again, god that sounds awful doesn't it?"

"A little," Izzy teased before she shook her head and spoke again. "We were both pretty clear there were no expectations at the beginning. We've just run our course."

Izzy leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss before she started to guide him towards the door.

"Later Freddie," she said "and maybe take some time to think about what's actually going on with you and Carly."

As the door closed and he walked down the hall Izzy's words echoed in his head.

Carly.

What was going on with him and Carly? How had they ended up in this situation?

He shook his head.

No.

It was too complex, too dangerous. They had years of friendship between them that he couldn't risk. Everytime his life had turned sour she and Sam had been his constant supports. If things turned sour between them… it wasn't a thought he was even willing to entertain.

Just as he had suspected, Freddie had forgotten about Izzy quickly. He hadn't thought about her since Saturday when they had broken up.

Broken up? Could you even really call what they had done a break up if they had never actually been together. He supposed you could, but it definitely didn't feel like any break up he had been through before.

He honestly didn't think he would have taken her on more then one date in the first place if he hadn't been wrapped up in the weird Vegas wedding situation with Carly. Izzy had been a good distraction.

He wasn't upset. Thinking about her didn't make him mourn. The only thought he had about her anyway were those final words she had spoken.

Take some time to think about what's actually going on with you and Carly.

And he had thought about it, but he had no idea. He had noticed Carly's jealous behaviour towards Izzy, he would have had to be blind not to, but he simply couldn't entertain that the reason behind it was that childhood best friend Carly, his Carly was, what? Into him?

Well duh, he knew that. They had history, romantic feelings weren't taboo between them. But friendship had always won out. Surely if anything was meant to happen between them it would have happened years ago. They were meant to be friends, nothing more, nothing less.

That same fear that had sat in the back of his mind after Izzy had spoken to him was still there. The thought of losing Carly if they…. Nope nope nope. He wasn't going there.

He was terrible at relationships. He had a track record to prove it. Two divorces under his belt before 26. Sure, he may have been a little bit older and wiser now but he couldn't risk the same outcome again. What was that saying? Making the same mistakes and expecting a different outcome was the definition of insanity or something.

Except maybe they were already in trouble, romantic potential or not, because he couldn't help but feel just a little awkward, a little strained whenever they spoke throughout the week.

Which was how he found himself, sitting on Carly's couch, watching the Web Award nominations play out on her laptop with more space between them then he could remember there being in a long time.

Add to that the fact that a number of key awards had already been announced and they were yet to receive a single nomination and it was all turning into a pretty miserable night.

"Ok, at the risk of sounding a little conceited I thought for sure we would be nominated for the live-stream category." Carly moaned as iCarly failed to appear in the list of nominated creators once again. "I'm not expecting a win, but not even a single nomination?"

"I don't know," Freddie said, watching her out of the corner of his eye. "Who knows what information goes into their decision making."

Carly groaned, loudly, exaggerating the noise as she threw her body down along the couch, her head landing in his lap. "But we work so hard."

Freddie froze, uncertain for just a moment before familiarity took over and his hand crawled into her hair, stroking her reassuringly.

"I mean, I know it's not the end of the world but still… It would be nice if they would at least recognise all the tech stuff I know nothing about, that you use to make the show look so good."

Freddie pulled a strand of her hair with just enough force he knew he would get a reaction out of her.

"Hey, what was that for?" She asked as she swatted his hand away.

He shrugged and looked back at the laptop as nominees for yet another category were announced.

Carly stayed put, letting herself focus on the feeling of his hand in her hair. Ever since he had told her that he and Izzy had called it quits she had been feeling braver. It seemed too early to say anything but suddenly she had a renewed hope that she would get a chance to talk to him about all of her recent realisations and the most shocking thing was that the thought of confessing her feelings didn't scare her anymore.

Both of their phones dinged in unison and she sat up, pulling hers from her pocket.

"An email from the web awards," Freddie said before she even got a chance to unlock her screen.

She watched as his eyes scanned across the email, his expression shifting to one of excitement.

"They're going to recognise us with the lifetime achievement award at the ceremony," he grinned.

"Seriously?" She still hadn't unlocked her own phone, distracted by watching him instead.

"Seriously!" He passed the phone to her and leaned up against her as he read the words out loud.

"This is a big deal, right?" She asked, her eyes going wide as she looked up at him again.

"This is a big deal." He agreed as he pulled her up from the couch and hugged her tightly. Both their feet jumping slightly from excitement.

She didn't know what made her do it, she had just been thinking about waiting a while. But as she stepped backwards out of his arms the words tumbled from her mouth before she could put much thought into them.

"You're the best partner I could ask for, I love you!"

She stood in front of him, jaw hanging limply as her mind caught up with what she had just said. And sure, they had shared many 'I love you's' before. But this one was different because it felt different.

"Awww, I love you too Carls." He grinned, returning what he clearly thought was just a celebratory statement and not an actual, meaningful confession.

Carly took another step backwards, ensuring she could look at him properly.

"No," she shook her head. "I mean… I mean I think I'm in love with you." She reached for the ring around her neck and untucked it from below her collar, showing him the way she kept him close to her every day.

"Wow," he breathed the word so deeply it barely sounded like an actual word.

Carly watched him as he sighed softly, a hand rubbing at the back of his head which she knew was a nervous tick of his. Her heart swelled as he reached out and took both of her hands in his. This was it, this was her moment.

"I need you to know everything that has been running through my head since the whole Vegas thing," she started, watching him carefully. "I'm not ok, I don't like the way it made things awkward between us and I know getting married wasn't exactly the best thing we could have done but if I'm being completely honest the thought of divorcing you…" she stopped, trying to find words that adequately described how she felt. "The thought of divorcing you really bums me out."

The smallest, softest smile appeared on his face and she knew she needed to cement her words, even before he could respond, she stepped forward again.

She pressed her body to his and tilted her head just so, leaning forward slowly, watching him closely as they came closer and closer. As she moved to him she felt one of his hands come up and take the ring on the chain around her neck in his fingers. Holding onto it gently

And then, before their lips finally met she saw something change in his eyes and he was gone, pulling away from her, stepping back. His hands planted on her arms and holding her at length. The ring slamming back into her chest.

He may as well have slapped across the face her for all she cared, it felt the same.

"We can't," he whispered. "I can't."

She felt like she was drowning, but she couldn't let on just how devastated she really felt. She needed to stand firm, keep her pride.

"I can't lose you as a friend, what if it didn't work out? What would happen then?"

Carly nodded, "right, no I was being stupid. You're right. I get it."

"I'm so sorr…"

"No," she cut him off. "It's fine."

All the joy and excitement from earlier was gone, zapped free from the room. She was left standing in front of him, devastated and hoping he would disappear so she could let herself crumble.

"You should go."

"I should leave."

Carly nodded silently and watched him turn and walk out her front door.

She was alone, standing in the middle of her living room and had no idea what to do next.