AN- This is oneshot goes with the oneshot I wrote about Freddie singing the love song to Sam on iCarly (ch146)

Bending

"Alright, Gio, let's go for the usual," Pam Puckett said as her masseuse walked in. "My back's been aching all week. Guess I can't go bending over to pick up change underneath the bus seats anymore."

"Of course," Gio nodded. "And, um, you are going to call my brother back about that date, right? Otherwise, I feel like it's a bit inappropriate for me to keep giving you these free massages."

"Yeah, I told you, I'd call him," Pam said. "Just as soon as the phone company decides to give service back to my block."

"Good," Gio said as he began to massage Pam. "Oh, and I see that rash has gone away from last month."

"Yup, thanks again for the ointment," she said. She glanced over at the small clock in the office. "Oh, chiz, I forgot! Hey, Gio? You think you could pull up a website for me on that computer over there? I'm wanted to watch my daughter on this web show that she does, part of this new 'better parenting' kick I've been on for the past year...The site's called, oh, dang it! What was it again...oh! !"

"You're daughter's on iCarly?" Gio said excitedly as he pulled up the website. "I never knew that. I love that web show! Which of the girls is yours? Carly or Sam?"

"Sam," Pam replied.

"Should've known," Gio said. "Oh, look! They're doing Super Bra!"

Pam continued to watch the web show as Gio massaged her. She had to admit, in the year it had been since she finally started watching, it had never failed to make her laugh. She always felt a surge of pride when she was her daughter doing the various skits of the show. Of course, being a Puckett, she wasn't very skilled in telling Sam that, but she hoped that her daughter knew anyway.

"You know," Gio said, continuing to rub Pam's back. "If I was to get some, say...autographs from iCarly, maybe I could through in a free salt scrub next time you're in town."

"Now you're talking, Gio," Pam said. "I'll get them for you right when I get back to Seattle. Speaking of which, I hope Sam found that note I left her telling her I was coming to Olympia for the weekend..."

"Hey, what's that Freddie kid doing now?" Gio frowned, looking at the screen.

Pam looked up and saw that Freddie Benson was now standing in the middle of the studio where Carly and Sam usually stood.

Freddie Benson.

Pam knew that he had dated her daughter for a month. And though Sam never exactly sat down and told her that she really liked this boy (the therapy sessions that the two of them occasionally attended thanks to Carly did help improve their relationship; however, feelings were still an iffy subject for either of them to discuss openly), Pam knew for a fact that never, in all the years that she had known her daughter, that Sam had never been happier than she was during that month. Unfortunately, Pam also noticed that in the weeks after her and Freddie broke up, Sam was more sullen looking than she could ever recall. Again, Sam never said anything directly to Pam to give any indication once so ever that she was upset, but the maternal instinct in Pam (the one that sometimes appeared to go on vacations) told her that her daughter had had her heart broken for the first time.

Pam had thought about trying to comfort Sam those nights when she saw her laying on the couch in the middle of the night, eating cold fried chicken, staring blankly at the T.V. screen, but she had never been good with words.

So as Pam stared at the boy on the computer screen, she wondered whether or not Sam had ever gotten over him. She doubted it.

"What's that kid doing?" Gio frowned. "Is that music playing? Is he singing?"

"Hang on, I think he just said Sam's name," Pam said. "Turn it up!"

Gio hurried to turn up the volume, just in time for Pam to hear the last verse of the song Freddie had been singing.

"Holy sweet chiz," Gio said. "Is that kid singing your daughter a love song?"

"I think...he is," Pam said, staring intently at the screen. "Shh, shh! She just cut him off."

"Oh, I love teenage drama," Gio said. "So does my brother...seriously, you should call him and-"

"Can it, massage man!" Pam snapped. "Wait, they're talking...now they're leaning...oh."

"Ah! They're back together again!" Gio cheered, clapping his hands. "I'm so excited. I have to go update my blog now, excuse me!"

Pam stared at Sam's face as she pulled away from Freddie, and she saw it again. That happiness, that smile that had accompanied her daughter that entire month. It was back.

"Nice job, kid," Pam whispered. "Nice job."

...

One week later, after Pam Puckett's trip to Olympia was over, she returned back to her home. When she opened her house door, she saw Sam curled up in an armchair, texting away on her pearphone.

"I'm back!" Pam said, throwing her bag carelessly on the ground.

"Oh, hey," Sam said, looking up from her phone for a second.

"So, did you eat the food I left for you while I was gone?" Pam asked.

"You left three pears and a jar of mayonnaise," Sam frowned.

"The mayonnaise goes on the pears," Pam told her.

"Yeah...I just threw the pears at the house across the street," Sam shrugged. "I ate at Carly's, anyway."

"Oh, good," Pam nodded. "Don't you look hot in that dress? Nearly as hot as I look in that green bikini."

"Gee, thanks," Sam cringed.

"I take it you're going out, since you're all dolled up?"

"Yup," Sam nodded.

"With...that Benson boy?"

Sam frowned. "How'd you know that?"

"Hey, I keep up-to-date," Pam said. "I saw that whole thing on iCarly."

"You-You still watch iCarly?" Sam asked, looking slightly taken back.

"Sure!" Pam said. "Speaking of which, I'm gonna need you and Carly and Freddie to sign some autographs for me so I can get a salt scrub, but we'll deal with that later. So, you're back with the nub, huh?"

"Um, yeah," Sam said.

Pam could see that the corners of Sam's mouth were straining not to turn up in a smile.

"Well...good," Pam said. "Smart, making him want you back. At least you can hopefully keep him around for more than a few years, not like me."

"Yeah, hopefully," Sam said. "Um, well, I guess I'll head out now."

"Alright," Pam nodded. "Oh, wait! I think I'm supposed to tell you something about a curfew...eh, who am I kidding? Just make sure you either sleep at Carly's place or come back here before it's too late. Hmm, that seemed like a responsible parent type thing for me to say, didn't it?"

"Yeah, yeah," Sam said, grabbing her purse. "See you, mom." Sam turned to head to the door.

"Hold on, wait," Pam said suddenly.

Sam looked back.

"I'm-I'm really happy for you, kid," Pam smiled. "You deserve this. And that Benson...he's a lucky kid."

Sam laughed. "Well, duh. He gets to date me."

Pam chuckled. "Just have fun tonight, Sammy.

"Um, thanks," Sam said. "Bye."

Pam watched as she headed out the door.

"Well," Pam sighed. "At least she seems to have better luck with guys than I do."