We start off with Sam & Cat together, but it's mainly about Sam and Freddie, so I'm putting it in under iCarly since that's where most of us look for stories about them to begin with.
I wrote this in memory of someone from my past who recently passed. She was my "Carly", the girl I had myself convinced I was going to marry some day. Needless to say that never happened. Sorry if it seems rushed, I just needed to do something when I found out about this and after a very long night, this came to be. It was sort of a quick write up with little editing and revision. RIP Pam!
Caterina Valentine was busying herself making some lunch in the kitchen of the apartment she used to share with her best friend, Sam Puckett. Cat was home from college on summer break and, as usual, she was staying with Sam - at least for the time being.
Sam was 26 years old. She somehow managed to get through college, earn a useful degree and secure a job working as a counselor at a local elementary school. Since it was summer, Sam wasn't working at the school. She still took on the occasional baby sitting job, just like when her and Cat lived together years before. Cat hadn't been that active with keeping kids the last summer or so, but she was usually around to help if Sam needed it.
The blonde had been out on the patio for quite some time on the phone while the younger gal worked in the kitchen. She glanced out the glass door from time to time to check up on her friend, but Sam managed to keep her back to the door. 'Maybe a new man in her life' Cat thought to herself. 'Hopefully it was Freddie.'
Cat knew Sam wasn't thrilled when she came home the week before and immediately announced that she intended to spend most of the summer with her boyfriend traveling Europe. Sam always looked forward to spending the summer with the younger gal and all she wanted was one last summer with her friend. But Cat would be graduating from college next year. She was growing up and preparing to move on with her own life. The red-haired girl was the thing that kept Sam grounded in California for the last several years. She could have literally looked for a job anywhere, but chose L.A. after her own college due to the younger girl's connection to her.
It was about twenty minutes later when the blonde came back inside. A quick glance at her face revealed that she had shed more than a few tears. Cat was immediately worried that she may have just witnessed a breakup. Deep down inside, now she hoped it wasn't Freddie that Sam was talking to.
"Sam. Are you OK?" The younger, but now taller girl, asked from the kitchen. "What's the matter?"
Sam simply held up a finger signaling for her to hold on, and rushed toward the bathroom.
Of course, Cat followed and knocked gently on the bathroom door after a minute or so. "Sam?"
The only response out of Sam was a flush of the toilet and the door slowly opening. Her face was now free of streaked makeup but Cat knew she was not her generally lively, outspoken self.
"You need to talk about it, Sam?" The younger girl asked, concerned. "I'm here for you whatever is going on."
Sam simply drew in a deep breath, took Cat by the hand and walked over to her own bed. She sat and lowered her head for a few seconds before talking. "That was Melanie. My, uh . . . our mom died." She said quietly.
"Oh, Sammy!" Cat threw her arms around Sam. "I'm so sorry. I - I can't imagine."
After a few deep breaths, Sam put up a good façade. "Well, we weren't that close." Sam began to cry again as soon as the words left her mouth.
"She's still your mom." Cat replied and kept holding her friend and left Sam cry until she was done.
In all actuality, the only contact Sam had with her mother the last few years was through social media and the occasional, brief phone call. After Sam left home, Pam Puckett tried to clean up her act. She went back to school herself, and ended up with a job similar to Sam's working with troubled kids at a youth shelter outside of Seattle. She had even gotten re-married to a man who had a son a few years younger than Sam and Melanie. Still, too many years of them being distant were hard to forget and there was an irreparable split between the two.
"I hate to ask, but will you be able to handle things here for a week or so. I just told my sister I'd go home for a little bit. She's a wreck, then there's the funeral and stuff. We don't even know when that is yet." Melanie had been slightly closer to Pam, even inviting her mother to her own wedding, over a year before.
"Of course." Cat replied with her typical tone. "Unless you need me to go with you."
Sam just looked at her funny, trying to figure out if it was a good idea to trust this girl alone for more than a few hours.
"I know what you're thinking. I'm almost a college graduate, Sam. I can be by myself for a few days without getting hurt."
"I have some baby sitting jobs coming. Do you want me to cancel them?"
Cat knew she could take are of more than just the apartment. "I can handle kids on my own. Like I said, I'm almost out of college."
"They're all on the calendar, along with the parents' numbers. Just call and cancel if you don't want to have to deal with them. People will just have to understand."
It was two days later when Sam arrived in Seattle, having driven nearly non-stop to get there. She pulled into the driveway of the house Melanie sent her the address to. It was in a different neighborhood than where they grew up and was a much different type of house. The shrubbery was neatly kept, the trim was painted classically and several nearly new cars sat in the driveway and on the street in front of the house.
Mel greeted her at the door. Beside her was her husband, Jonathan. Sam recognized him from the pictures her sister sent continuously. She hadn't went to Melanie's wedding because of work and Melanie's living in another part of the country. "Come on in, Sammy."
First Melanie and then Jonathan hugged Sam. "Good to finally meet you, Jonathan." She said as the tall man left go of her. Another man, this one older and nearly bald, walked in behind Melanie from another room. A a few steps behind him was a young man, about Cat's age who looked just like him, only with short, reddish brown hair.
"Sam, you know Paul." Melanie stepped aside to allow the middle aged man to come closer.
"Actually, we never officially met either." Sam replied as the man awkwardly shook her hand. He was Pam's new husband. "We've video chatted with mom once or twice. But it's been a while. Nice house, Paul."
He stepped aside and introduced his son. "This is Keith. I guess he's kind of your step-brother."
"Hi, Sam. Wow, you guys really do look alike. Well, aside from the hair." The young man referred to Sam and Melanie, who had a shorter, shoulder length haircut. Sam's was the same as always, though she always kept it combed back when she was at work.
Sam resisted the urge to make fun of him for pointing out the obvious. He was an awkward looking kid, seemingly the type who had few friends and spent a lot of time online doing role-playing games. She immediately thought of someone else she knew.
"You have anything in the car you need help with?" Keith asked. He was also apparently one of those kind of guys, too. Like Freddie Benson, he was polite and proper and acting like a gentleman by offering to help lift anything heavy.
"I'll get it in a bit." She replied with a shrug. "I just have one bag."
"Well, let's all sit down." Jonathan led the girls to the dining room table, where the entire family took a seat.
Keith had poured everyone a cup of coffee and Paul opened an envelope that was sitting in front of his place. "Your mother wrote this a couple of weeks ago. She made me promise not to open it until both of her girls were here."
Melanie sniffled and Jonathan put his arm around her, Keith obviously was looking out the window, behind his father's head, a bit emotional himself. Sam resisted the urge to eye roll. Despite her grief, she wasn't into drama and this was getting very dramatic.
"Is it alright if I read it now?" He asked. "Or should we wait?"
Sam shrugged and Melanie nodded slightly, her head now resting on her husband's shoulder.
"To my girls. If someone would have told me a year ago that I'd be writing something like this, I'd have called them nuts. But last fall, I was diagnosed with cancer. Too many years of smoking and hard living caught up with me. I didn't tell either of you because there was nothing could be done. They said I had months to live, stage 4 by the time they found it. Keith took good care of me and helped me stay comfortable and I told him not to tell you. I knew upsetting either of you wouldn't do any good so I just kept it between us. It's too bad we couldn't have all been together more often. I am truly sorry for all the things I missed with you both. At least I lived long enough to see one of my girls get married. Sammy, you're next so please find someone to share your life with. Don't wait until you're on the way out to get married like I did."
Sam almost got choked up but kept her composure. Paul read on for the majority of a page before stopping. "The rest is just funeral instructions." He told them. Your mom told me what she wanted and I passed her wishes onto the mortician when we met this morning."
The table was silent for a few minutes before Sam spoke. "So, uh, Paul. You want to maybe tell the rest of us what she wanted. Like, when's there a service or anything?"
"Girls, your mom asked to be cremated. And once we can get everyone here, your relatives from out of town, she asked for a simple memorial ceremony and meal at the church."
"There's a church?" Sam raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, Pam and I started going to church regularly right after our wedding. She's actually been volunteering with the youth group down there. The kids loved her."
Sam was dumbfounded, kids loved her mom? Pam Puckett went to church. Sam wasn't a particularly religious girl herself, but she had accompanied Cat more than once to her Sunday services. She knew Freddie went to church and typically so did Carly. Sam always thought her mom was agnostic, if not outright atheist.
"I've managed to contact most of your family. And the ones I couldn't reach are being contacted by the others. I've set up the service for Saturday afternoon. And she didn't want people to be all dressed up, this is supposed to be laid back and informal. A celebration of her life, not a mourning of her death."
Melanie continued to sob and Keith shed a few tears for his step mother, who he really didn't know that well. He was a senior in high school when his father even met Pam and left for college shortly after that, so he really never spent much time around her.
"So, I guess that's it. Uhm, I'm gonna go grab my stuff from the car. Can someone show me where I'm crashing?"
Sam was shown the way to Keith's room. Melanie and Jonathan were sharing the guest room and Keith had volunteered to take the couch in the family room so Sam could have his bed.
"Seriously, dude. You can keep your room. I'm good on a couch." Sam told him when he showed her the way. "Or I could even grab a cheap room at the local Motel 8 or something so you can be in here with your stuff."
"It's fine, Sam. There's not much of my stuff here anymore. I've been away at school. I was actually talking about getting a place with my girlfriend now that I graduated but I think maybe I should be here for my dad right now. You might not know this, but they really loved each other. My dad's a good guy, he just had trouble finding the right one. After my mom died, he sure picked some winners. Until Pam. It's a shame it didn't last all that long."
"Yeah, looks that way. Your dad seems like a pretty decent guy." Sam acknowledged, still unsure how her mother ever got her life this organized.
"I need to ask you something. You're one of the girls that was on iCarly, aren't you?" Keith asked out of nowhere.
"Yep. But that was so long ago. What were you five when you watched?"
"Um, no. I was in junior high. I'm not that much younger than you. Say, my girlfriend has been wondering, I've wondered, whatever happened between you and Freddie?"
This kid was getting way too forward, way too fast and Sam was getting annoyed. "What do you mean? We went out for a month or so in tenth grade or some chiz. I left for California halfway through senior year. I've been living in L.A. ever since. He went to college in another state. We've talked but haven't really kept in touch. Last I heard he was still living with his goofy mother."
In truth, Sam and Freddie had seen each other a few times since. He had been to L.A. to visit her on occasion and she generally made a trip home to 'visit' Seattle at least once over the summer whenever he'd be home from college. These visits, more often than not, led to a casual hookup. The last the two saw each other was over a year ago, he was in L.A. for a work conference and took a few personal days afterward to spend the week with Sam.
Both had been plagued by relationship troubles and whenever they were both single, which was often, they'd somehow find each other even if it was just for a night. Neither had ever been forward enough to actually propose getting back together, although they both thought about it and neither seemed to be able to find anyone else they could stand to be around for more than a month or so.
It was several days later at the reception after Pam's memorial service when Sam got a surprise visitor. Melanie and her husband, who had made friends with Paul, hadn't left his side. Sam knew most of the other people there. The ones who weren't related were introduced as Pam's friends from work or church. There was one man, however, who no one seemed to recognize. No one approached him, no one spoke much to him, but he seemed content that way. He had kept to himself until Sam finally decided to ask him how he knew her mother and approached him.
"Hi, um, sorry, but I don't recognize you. Did you work with mom? I'm Sam."
"Uh, Steve. No. I knew your mother a long time ago." He simply responded with a handshake. "We- um, we went to school together."
"Really?" Sam had never met anyone, other than relatives, from her mom's past. "Here in Seattle?"
"Yeah, but we sort of lost touch." He nodded. "Last I heard from her, you and your sister were babies I think."
"You knew my dad too, then?" Sam didn't and she quickly wondered if this guy might be able to answer a few questions she had about her father.
"Nope. I never asked about him and Pam didn't say anything. As far as I knew she was single when we last talked but I, um . . ." He sighed and stopped for a second. "I couldn't get up the nerve to tell her how I felt about her."
"She was single when I was a baby? She always told us my dad left when we were three."
"Maybe they got back together, maybe they were together all along, maybe she didn't feel about me the way I felt about her. I can't say for sure."
Sam was thinking about what this could have meant when the older man continued speaking. "I first met her in third grade. The teacher sat us at the same desk. She was the prettiest girl I had ever seen. I had crushes before, but this was different. I fell for her right then and there. She helped me with my cursive writing and I helped her with math."
"Must be where I get it. I suck at math." She chuckled, remembering how Freddie had to tutor her every day in order for her to pass basic algebra in ninth grade.
"We kept in touch over that summer, wrote, called and stuff. But we sort of lost track of each other once we went back to school, until junior high. I fell for her all over again. This time, we had the typical seventh grade romance, holding hands in the hallway, eating lunch together, we were each other's first kiss."
Sam thought of her first kiss and other firsts she shared with Freddie as the man continued.
"Before school was out that year, I guess her parents split up and Pam moved away for a couple of years. She came back in tenth grade. But as soon as she came back, she had a boyfriend. We stayed friends throughout school. Even after she broke up with that guy and had other boyfriends and broke up with them, we never got together romantically. It was funny, we did so much stuff together but we weren't together. We had our senior pictures taken at the same time. We hung out on the class trip. We even sat together at graduation and everything. We just never tried actually dating. But practically as soon as the ink was dry on her diploma, she moved away, went to live with her dad in Spokane."
"He just died last year. My grandpa. Him and mom were always pretty close." Sam replied quietly.
"I saw online that he had passed. Anyway, by the time of our five-year class reunion, I had just broken up with a girl and I was hoping to see your mom. I had this whole speech planned, I was determined I was going to tell her how I felt. I was pretty disappointed when she didn't come. Later I found out that she had just given birth to twins."
Sam stood there quietly as this stranger unloaded his soul to her. It was definitely a lot for the girl to process because it sounded very familiar. Less the giving birth to twins part.
"I had a friend who was a cop, he helped me track her down. Even though he would have probably gotten in trouble for doing it. I sent a letter or two before she finally responded. We wrote for a little bit and even called a few times that year. We were supposed to get together one time, I thought it was supposed to be like a date. She had a sitter lined up and everything, she told me."
"What happened?"
"I've got to admit I wasn't sure if I was mature enough to handle a ready-made family at twenty-four, so I backed out, stood her up. You don't know how many times over the years I wondered how much different my life would have been if I had the backbone to just reconnect with her that day."
"Aren't you married?" Sam asked, having noticed the band on his left hand.
"Yes, I am. Very happily. Two great kids, too. My son just graduated from high school. My daughter's a star in the school choir and a great artist for a seventh grader, even if I am a little biased. And I wouldn't trade them or my marriage for anything. But I still can't help but wonder what if."
"Damn, mister. That's either the most romantic thing I've ever heard or the saddest." Sam sighed.
"Anyway, I should head home soon. It was nice talking to you, Sam. Again, I'm sorry for your loss." Steve told her quietly.
For some reason, Sam felt the need to hug this poor, sad, middle aged, portly man. "Thanks. Sorry for yours."
Two days later, Sam was scheduled to return to L.A. She had packed her things and said goodbye to Melanie and her brother in law before they left for the airport early that morning. She bid farewell to Pam's husband, promising to keep in touch. Keith's girlfriend had already friended Sam on Splashface and sent her several messages, reveling in the face that her boyfriend was the step-brother of a web celebrity.
The blonde was on her way out of town, driving south on the interstate, later that afternoon when she suddenly had the urge to pull over at a rest stop. She was just over an hour outside of Seattle, but before she drove any further she needed to make a call. Despite being in town, she hadn't contacted Freddie at all the last 6 days. After all, this wasn't a happy vacation trip home, she was there for her mother's funeral. Still, something that strange man said to her two days ago struck a nerve, something told her to make that call.
She tried to talk herself out of it a couple of times, even putting the car back in gear once but stopping before taking her foot off the brake. Even though it was Monday and he would likely still be at work, she decided to dial anyway. One, two, three rings. Now four and five. It was looking like he was busy and not going to answer. That would be her sign that the fates simply wanted her to get his voice mail, say a few words and move on. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice from her past.
"Sam? Is that you?"
"Hey, Benson." She smiled wide, hearing his voice. "Whatcha doin'?"
"I'm at work. Bu-but I can talk. It's almost time to leave anyway. What's up?"
Time to play coy, there was no use in giving too many details over the phone. "Eh, I'm town. Thought I'd give you a ring, see if you wanted to buy me food or something."
"Sam old Sam." She could hear his smirk over the phone. "All you can eat night at Adams's Ribs?"
"I was thinking of something a little smaller and quieter. You remember that diner we used to go to over by my old house?"
"You mean Lenny's? With the best peanut butter cream pie ever? Heck, yeah!" He hadn't been there in years, but he remembered it well.
"How about we meet there in say, about an hour?" She suggested because she needed time to get back to town and he was still at work.
"Sounds good to me. I wonder if we'll get our old booth?"
"Just have to wait and see." She replied. "Don't start eating without me, but if you get in first order me a peppy cola and some cheese fries with extra bacon."
Just over an hour later, Sam pulled into the parking lot of the diner she hadn't visited in years. The silver hybrid car she parked beside had to be his. She strolled inside, nervous to see his face but he wasn't in their usual table, or anywhere. He must have been in the men's room. No one was in the round, corner booth with the red upholstery where they used to sit. No one was hardly there at all, but it was still pretty early. Sam slid in under the familiar table and proceeded to look over the menu. It hadn't changed, except for the prices.
"Can I get you something to drink?" A middle aged waitress asked.
"Yeah, peppy cola please. Make it two, I'm waiting for a friend. Oh, and how about some cheese fries with lots of bacon."
"You got it. I'll be right back." The waitress turned to leave.
"Hey, did a guy with brown hair come in yet? About my age, a little taller. Probably wearing office clothes. Looks kinda uptight."
"Nah, the only people that came in before you were that woman at the counter and the old couple along the far window. Mondays are usually slow here."
Where was he? Sam looked around and pulled out her phone to send him a text. Just then, the chime on the door rang and Freddie hurried in. He looked toward the back corner and rushed to the table.
"Sorry I'm late. My boss needed my help with something." He explained, sitting down.
Sam simply smiled at him. "S'alright. I ordered a drink for you."
"And the fries?" He asked.
Sam nodded. "So I guess that's not your hybrid car in the parking lot that I parked beside.
"No, I have an SUV." He responded. "I guess we'd better order before they get busy. I worked through lunch today and I'm starving."
All of a sudden his ulterior motive was revealed and Sam wasn't afraid to call him on it. "That's why you wanted all you can eat ribs?"
"Yeah, that and it's your favorite thing in the whole world." He grinned.
The waitress soon returned with drinks, got their food order and brought them their appetizer before they did much talking.
"I didn't know you were coming to town this summer. How long have you been here?"
"Actually, it wasn't really planned. I, um, I was here for my mom's funeral." She said with little emotion.
"Oh my God, Sam. I didn't know. Why didn't you call me sooner?"
"Eh, you didn't really know her that well. No one expected you to go. The service was Saturday."
"But I still would have been there." He reached across the table and took her hand. "I'm sorry, Sam. I know you two weren't all that close when we were kids but, God I'm so sorry. I feel terrible I couldn't be there for you."
"Thanks, Freddie. You know, I was actually supposed to be headed home today but I got to thinking I should give you a call. It - it's been a while since we've talked much. And a long time since we've seen each other." It wasn't like her to be so forward with her feelings, he was glad she felt comfortable enough to open up.
"Yeah. It has. Anything in particular you want to talk about?"
"Not really. I just sort of wanted to see someone familiar. Cat's staying with me for a little bit. In L.A., but she's going to Europe with her boyfriend in a week or so . She's pretty serious about this dude, I wouldn't be surprised if she went to Chicago to live with him after college. You still single?" She asked casually.
He nodded slightly. "You?"
"Yep. Guys in L.A. are such tools. Mama don't have time for games."
Their food arrived and the two started eating as they were talking.
"Still living in the same apartment, then?" He asked after a little while. "That was a pretty cool place."
"For now. I like it, but I kinda missed home, too. Plus I've heard the guys up this way are much better." She teased. "I even heard about this one nub, he's like 26 and still lives with his mother. But he's supposed to be kind of cute and he makes a fortune designing software. Not that a guy like that would be interested in me, I'm just sayin'."
If Sam was saying what he thought she was saying, there was no way he was going to let this opportunity go wasted, it was time to tell her what he should have the year he got out of college.
"Oh, I think the kind of guy you just described would be very interested." He said with a crooked grin, putting down his fork for a second. "And just for the record, know the dude you're talking about and he got his own place a few months ago. Are you really seriously thinking about moving back to Seattle?"
Sam shrugged it off and tried to play cool as she kept eating. "I might be. Like I said, Cat's moving on and I really don't have any ties to L.A. other than my job and God knows I can get a job anywhere. Wonder if they have enough counselors at the local schools?"
"Well, I just happen to be pretty good friends with one of Ted Franklin's kids. She works at my office. And Ted is now the superintendent of schools. I'm sure he remembers you. Maybe we could stop by and see him some time."
"Before I do anything, I have to find a place to live. I can't really go sponging off my step-father or anything. I'm sure someone who's lived in Seattle all his life could point me in the right direction." By now, this conversation had both of them almost giddy with excitement.
Freddie couldn't help but play along. He was done eating first and sat back into the seat. "Well, you know that guy you were talking about, the one who used to live with his mother but just recently got his own place? I have it on pretty good authority that he has plenty of space for a blonde former demon. If she could put up with a nub that is."
Sam was done with her meal and pushed her plate aside after polishing off her drink. "I'd have to see this place. You know, make sure it isn't too nerdy or anything."
Time to see if he could close the deal. "It's getting awfully late for you to be heading back south tonight. You could just stay and check it out tonight."
"I suppose." She said with her own crooked smile. "We could have dessert at your place."
"I'm not leaving here without a piece of that peanut butter cream pie." He argued.
Sam just rolled her eyes. "I know. I've been thinking about that pie ever since you mentioned it when I called you. But that's not the kind of dessert I was talking about."
And we'll leave it at that. I wanted to make this a short story but once I got started I just had to do a full on Seddie reunion. Complete with planting the suggestion of what they might be going to do.