15. iLost Cat

Sam sat on the couch, staring blankly at the television. It wasn't turned on, and she wasn't sure why, but she seemed okay with that. Cat appeared from behind her, sporting a pair of pink and white boxer briefs and a pink bra.

"Hey there, beautiful," she whispered. "Are you ready to join me in the bedroom?"

Cat gently teased Sam's lips with her tongue, and Sam decided she had never been more ready for anything in her life.

"Who needs the bedroom when we have the couch?"

Sam's head whipped to her right. Carly was sitting next to her in a black lace nighty with black stockings. As Sam's head turned, Carly cupped a hand against her cheek. Every hair on Sam's body stood on end, as if she'd been shocked.

"It's all the way back there," Carly said. She slid her hand down Sam's neck, over her breasts, and down to her right thigh. It was that moment that Sam realized she was completely naked. That was a strange development, as she was sure she had clothes on when she sat down.

"Carly, what are you—"

Carly's hand slid up Sam's thigh and brushed against her slit. Sam gasped at the touch.

"Just stay here with me. You know you like it right here, it's what you know. It's safe. And you've wanted it for years."

Carly kissed her way down Sam's neck, racking Sam's body with chills.

"Oh god, Carls..."

A hand gently turned Sam's head back to her left. Cat stared at her with those big, beautiful doe-eyes. "Why play it safe when you can take a risk? Sometimes, they pay off in ways you can't imagine. She was what you needed for a while. But you were meant for more."

Cat ran her hand up Sam's left leg. Her finger pressed inside of Sam, joining Carly's.

"Oooohhhh my god what is happening?" Sam gasped.

Carly leaned in to Sam's right ear. "You're dreaming, obviously."

Cat leaned in to Sam's left ear. "We're just your subconscious mind's way of processing a very difficult decision."

Carly's finger slid deeper, while Cat's found her clit. Sam's breath caught in her throat and she groaned. "Why can't I make every decision this way? Oh god…."

Carly and Cat both nibbled at Sam's neck. Carly's finger slid deeper as Cat's rubbed Sam's clit. Their tongues traveled down her neck and each embraced one of her nipples. Sam's eyes hit the back of her head.

"Oooh, can't I just keep you both?"

Carly and Cat kissed their way back to Sam's neck, then lingered close to her face, each wearing a sexy, lusty grin.

"Not out there," Carly said.

"But this is your dream," Cat added. "What do you want us to do?"

Sam smiled devilishly as she gently pushed Carly and Cat's faces together. The brunette and the redhead kissed, inches away from Sam's face. Sam saw their mouths slide open and their tongues intertwine. A surge of moisture built up between her legs, and both Carly and Cat groaned when they felt it. They reached for Sam and brought her closer, angling their heads so all three of them could share in a kiss.

The doorbell rang, startling Sam. "Go away, I'm busy!" It rang again. Sam sat up with a start.

She was alone on the couch. The first thing she realized was that her hand was down her pants, buried between her legs, no doubt fueling the vivid sensations of her dream, which were quickly fading. She grasped at them, held onto them for as long as she could, but they vanished in the early morning light.

Sam didn't remember falling asleep the previous night, but the plate and half a dozen pizza crusts suggested she did. "Cat?"

The apartment was silent.

Sam grabbed her phone. Her text to Cat from the previous night was unanswered.

"What the hell?"

The doorbell rang again.

"Cat!?"

Silence.

Sam moved to the door with growing concern. Carly greeted her on the other side with her bright smile and two cups of coffee. "Good morning," she said cheerfully.

"You're half right," Sam muttered, still shaking off the grogginess and confusion. She gratefully took the coffee. "Thanks."

"Rough night?"

"Apparently. I crashed on the couch. Not sure why Cat didn't wake me up when she got back. Cat!?"

The silence was concerning. Tell me she didn't lock herself in that panic room, she thought. "I'll be right back."

Sam hurried down the hallway, her mind filling with worries. Did Cat get hurt? Did she get trapped in the panic room? Was something else wrong? She threw the door open…

The bedroom was empty. Cat was nowhere in sight. Her bed remained a mess from their romp the previous morning.

What the hell?

Sam made a sweep of the bathroom, the panic room, and everywhere else she could think of.

Cat, where are you? Sam grew more worried with each second. It wasn't like her to panic, but this was such an unprecedented event. Calm down, Puckett. She probably just fell asleep at Tori or Jade's house after their shopping trip.

Sam quickly dialed Cat's phone. It went straight to voicemail. She tried it again. Straight to voicemail.

She tried Jade's next. Straight to voicemail.

Okay, now I'm getting concerned.

She tried Tori's phone and was relieved when it actually rang. And rang. And rang until it went to voicemail.

"Hey, Tori, it's Sam. Trying to find Cat and Jade, it doesn't look like Cat came home last night. Call me back."

This isn't right, Sam thought. Something's not right. She hurried back to the living room. Carly had taken a seat on the couch, but was on her feet when she saw Sam's worry.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't think Cat came home last night."

"Would that be unusual?"

"Very. Her phone's going right to voicemail. So is Jade's. Tori didn't answer hers. This isn't right, Carls."

Carly moved to Sam and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Okay. Let's just think for a minute," she said. "I'm sure there's a reason for this."

Sam pulled away. She did not want to be touched just then, even by Carly. "Yeah, a bad one," she snapped. The apartment suddenly seemed suffocating. Sam threw open the front door. "I need some air."

It was a pleasant morning. The humidity was low, the breeze was perfect. Sam listened as it tickled the trees. The branches gently swayed. A paper bag rattled.

Wait, what?

Sam followed the sound. She found a few bags on the sidewalk just outside of her bedroom window.

What the hell?

Sam poked through the bags. She found makeup, perfume, and a pair of new pink shoes.

I guess this could be Cat's. Seems like stuff she'd buy.

She checked the next bag, from Veronica's Hidden Stash. She pulled out a pink and black nighty and panties set that left just the right amount to the imagination.

Oh dear god, I really hope this is Cat's. Wow.

"What'd you find?"

Sam dropped the nighty back in the bag, startled. "What!? Nothing! I mean…something. Someone dropped these bags out here. They weren't here when I got home."

"Do you think they're Cat's?" Carly asked. "I definitely can't see you wearing something like that little black thing."

Sam's cheeks were on fire as she tried to ignore Carly's remark. There was something else in the bag. Sam pulled it out slowly. A furry cattail with a small box attached. She recognized it; Cat had bought one of these before. "This is definitely Cat's stuff," she said. She held up the tail for Carly to see.

Carly stared at it blankly for a moment. "That's uh...well...hey, whatever you're into. No judgment here."

Sam dropped it back in the bag. "I didn't say I was into this." Even as she spoke, Sam envisioned Cat wearing the nighty she'd just seen and the tail. Damned if she didn't feel a warmth developing in the pit of her stomach. "Actually, I might be really into it. But the point is, why is out here?"

Sam grabbed the bags and took them inside. Her mind raced with possibilities. What was happening? Where was Cat? Was she in trouble?

"Can you track her phone? Do you know her password?"

Yes! That's it! Perfect! Sam flew to the table and opened her laptop. She went right for the PearCloud account page and typed in Cat's credentials. As she worked, she sensed Carly's presence over her shoulder. Her long, black hair hung just within reach and the scent of her skin and splash of perfume took Sam back in time and made her stomach flip. She nearly lost herself in the moment, until the tracking app began flashing with the location of Cat's phone.

"Wait…she's in Kansas? What the hell?"

"Maybe she took a trip?"

"Cat hates to travel alone. Where's she going?" A million worst-case scenarios ran through her head. Did someone take her against her will? How did she get to Kansas? Did Tori or Jade end up talking her into something?

Sam's phone rang. It was Tori.

"Vega! What's going on? I can't find Cat or Jade."

Tori's voice was soft and far more solemn than usual. "Yeah. I got a text from Jade a little while ago. She, uh…she went with Cat to New York."

"New York!? Why would Cat be going to New York?"

"She had an audition with Carl Crane. He's a really big director. She found out a few days before the prom. She meant to tell you but she got all flustered with the prom and everything."

Sam groaned. She was relieved Cat was okay, but something still wasn't right. "Why wouldn't she have come home last night, though? That doesn't make sense."

Tori was slow to respond. "Don't shoot the messenger," she said. "Cat overheard some phone call you were having. Whatever you said, it made her think you were going to leave her for Carly."

Sam winced. A pang of guilt shot through her. "Damn it," she said. "That's not what it was at all."

"And Jade tried to calm her down and explain that, but…you know Cat. So Jade let her crash there and went with her for the audition. But…she wants you to come, too."

"Cat?"

"Jade. She said she figured this was a misunderstanding and she feels like Cat would do better if you came and cleared everything up before the audition. She didn't say anything to Cat about it, though. She didn't want to worry her. She spent half the night trying to calm her down so she'd still go."

Sam felt a headache coming on as the muscles in her neck and back began to tighten. "This is seriously jacked. I can't afford a plane ticket right now."

"Jade already bought them."

Sam couldn't take it. She sat on the couch, shaking her head in disbelief. "This is a mess," she mumbled. "This is why I'm better off without any connections."

The line was silent for a moment. "I'll go with you if you decide to go. I've been to this place before, I know my way around."

Sam just stared. She felt Carly's eyes on her, but she couldn't turn or acknowledge them.

"You'd do that?"

"Of course I would. Cat's one of my best friends. And you're...uh...well...you're Sam, from iCarly."

That phrase rang in her ears. Sam, from iCarly. Maybe she was, once. "I used to be," she said. "But I don't think I can be anymore."

Sam finally turned to face Carly. She lost herself for a moment in her dark worried eyes. They had been best friends their entire lives, and they both knew somehow that this was another defining moment for them. Just like when Carly left Seattle. Just like when they started the web show. Just like that first day when Sam approached Carly at lunch. The weight of the decision pressed upon Sam, but she had already made the choice. She'd made it years ago, she just didn't know it.

"Sam," Tori said. "Are you going?"

Sam smiled sadly at Carly.

"Of course I'm going. What time?"

"10:30. CityAir Flight 415."

"CityAir 415 at 10:30. Got it. I'll meet you there."

Sam ended the call. Carly, who had been waiting patiently, sat next to her on the couch. "So…New York?"

"Yeah. Some big audition for a play over there. I'm, uh…I'm going to go. She overheard me talking to Freddie last night and she thought that you were trying to steal me away."

Carly shifted on the couch and broke eye contact with Sam. "I guess I kind of was. Just not in the way she's worried about."

"I guess so." Sam drew a deep breath. Her hands were shaking again, an occurrence she was getting very tired of. Stupid emotional turmoil. "Carls, look…for years I dreamed you'd come back here, that you'd want to restart the show and that things would go back to how they were. That was one of the happiest times of my life. And that's a big deal, because my life hasn't been happy. But I guess something happened while I was wishing for the good old days. Somehow I ended up in some pretty damn good new days. And…I want to hang onto these days. To Cat."

Sam held her breath. Every moment of silence between them stretched into an eternity. When Carly turned her eyes back to Sam, they weren't full of tears as Sam expected. Carly's wide, effortless smile slowly crossed her lips. There was a touch of disappointment behind it, but it was as sincere as any of Carly's smiles had ever been.

"I think that's the right decision, Sam," Carly said.

Sam stared in silent disbelief. "You do?"

Carly reached out and took Sam's hands in hers. "I do. You deserve to be happy. And I've seen in the past day how happy Cat makes you. You'll always be my best friend, and I'll always love you. And I'll cherish the years we spent doing iCarly. But you have to do what makes you happy."

Sam blinked away the tears that were forming. "Oh, Carls…" She reached out and pulled her best friend into an embrace. Carly returned the hug.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad you're not naked for this hug."

"Me too."

The two shared a laugh as they pulled themselves apart.

"I should probably pack," Sam said. A pang of guilt shot through her as she remembered she already was packed. She hurried back to the bedroom and pulled the suitcase out. She stared blankly at it.

I'm not doing it. I'm not. This was packed because I wanted to leave. But I'm not leaving. Not like I was.

She turned the suitcase over and dumped it out. A weight lifted from her as it emptied. She smiled to herself.

You're staying, Puckett. You're where you belong.

She laid the suitcase back down then moved to her dresser. Then her closet. There was a noticeable shortage of clean clothes.

Damn it. Cat would choose laundry day to go to New York.

Sam turned back to the clothes she dumped out of her suitcase and sighed. She started to re-pack it.

Only because these are the only clothes I have clean, she thought.

She finished quickly and zipped the suitcase, then returned to the living room. Carly was already on her feet.

"Can we swing by the hotel so I can grab my suitcase?"

Sam grabbed a pair of bottled waters from the fridge and offered one to Carly. "Um, sure. Do you think you'll be able to get a flight back to Seattle on such short notice?"

Carly held up her phone. "No. But I got one to New York already. CityAir 415, leaving at 10:30."

Sam stared at Carly. Her heart swelled with affection for the brunette.

"Carls, you don't have to—"

Carly stepped toward Sam. "My best friend needs me. I want her to get her happy ending."

Sam's vision blurred. She wiped away the tears. "Thanks."

Carly's sweet smile shifted into her mischievous smile. Sam hadn't seen that one in years. "You've got something in your eye."

"No I don't." Sam grabbed her suitcase and hurried past Carly.

"Yes you do. I saw them!"