'Ello! Well, we're nearing the end of this one. I don't like stories that drag much and I think that I'm at a point where that wont happen so I think... 2 or 3 more chapters? We'll see! Speaking of seeing, what would you like to see happen? Just curious. Right, enjoy! The crazy is dying down and the sweet is amping up.

As always, I don't own 'em, I just write 'em, but I defs own what I write!

When we came downstairs in the morning after falling asleep some time after 2am, we saw Spencer hang up the phone.

"What's up, Spence?" I asked. He looked blank.

"That was Grandad. They set the wake up later today and the funeral is tomorrow. Its closed casket." His voice faded as he spoke. Carly floated further into me with every word. By the end her head was buried against my shoulder and her arms were drawn up to her neck, clutching my shirt. I put my arms around her and looked to Spencer.

"You okay, Spence?" I was hoping that he would say that it was alright and that he was fine, but I knew from the look on his face that he needed to be held as much as Carly. Its hard being one girl who usually focuses on herself who has to suddenly make sure everyone else is doing alright. It sounds really selfish.

I moved Carly over to the sofa and sat with her. I motioned for Spencer to join us. He shook his head slightly as he stared off, leaning over the counter. I kept a watch over him out of the corner of my eye, but turned my attention to Carly. She wasn't crying. I had no idea if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"I...don't want to go." She said quietly.

"No one can force you to go to a funeral."

"You haven't really met my Grandad and my father's friends."

"So? They if they try to make you go or feel uncomfortable about it, I can take 'em." Her eyes went wide for a moment.

"Oh god, Sam. Please don't hit the military men. Juvie is one thing but hitting my dad's friends..." I grimaced as she looked terrified.

"Okay. I wont actually hit them, but just for the record, I could totally take them."

"Scarily enough, I have no doubt about that."

"But they still can't make you go. I'll talk to them. We'll work it out." I rubbed her back for a moment to try to get her to calm down. She had started to tremble. I nuzzled into her hair and put a lingering kiss on her forehead. I felt her take a deep breath and stop shaking.

I looked back to Spencer and saw him making eggs. I motioned to Carly in his direction with my head. She nodded and we went to the table. I tried to take the spatula away from Spencer but he didn't want to give it up, so I let him make the eggs. I held Carly's hand as I sat at the table and felt it stop trembling the second my hand covered hers. Carly scooted over to me until she could lay her head on my shoulder. I stroked her hair and listened to her softened breath.

Spencer put the plates in front of us and handed us forks before he sat down to his breakfast. I muttered a soft "Thanks, Spence." When he gave me the forks.

It was silent for a little while. There weren't any clanks from the plates or anything. I of course had to break the silence.

"Spencer...can I ask you something?" He looked up slightly.

"Do...do you think it'd be alright if Carly didn't go to the wake or the funeral? Its...Its really bugging her." He looked up from the table and put his fork down. I felt Carly's nails dig into my shirt.

"Is that true, Carly?" It was vary faint, but I think I heard his voice crack. Carly didn't answer. She just raised her head to nod at Spencer and then buried her face in my shoulder. I felt her body jump as she started to sob. Spencer's eyes moved around for a minute. He was thinking of what to say, I bet. He gulped and opened his mouth. It gaped and closed like a fish a couple of times before he was able to say anything.

"I...I mean, you don't have to..." He stopped and I saw his eyes twitch. He was trying not to cry. "I would have to go alone then..." He said quietly as his head dropped. I thought quickly.

"I bet Freddie or Socko would go with you. Maybe even Gibby." He looked up and he looked hopeful.

"You think they would?"

"Yeah. I mean, they're your friends, right?"

"I always thought they were more your friends."

"You're kind of like one of us, Spence. Don't worry, I bet they'd all go with you if you asked. Or-or I can ask, whatever." He nodded and I sighed silently. Another bullet dodged. Spencer went back to eating and I tried to coax Carly away from my shirt. She eventually did, but she wouldn't eat. Sadly, I couldn't eat either when I saw how Carly was. We both gave up after a while and went to watch television. She laid her head in my lap and clutched my knee and I pet her hair.

We sat there for a while without moving. The shows came on and finished over and over and I must have fallen asleep at some point. I had a weird dream where Carly and I were hanging off of the scaffold again. She was holding onto my ankles and I was just barely holding on to the metal bars. She was calling out my name over and over in this horrible, terrified, sobbing voice. I tried over and over to pull up to the scaffold but it wasn't working. I couldn't get there. I couldn't do it. And then, my fingers stopped grasping the scaffold.

When I woke up, I jumped. Carly looked around wild eyed as she tried to get out of my lap. I was breathing heavily and my head was pounding. I felt the sweat all over my body. I wiped my brow as Carly grabbed my cheeks.

"Sam! Sam!" She screamed at me in terror. I held her as I calmed down. She held on to me so tightly that I thought I was going to stop breathing. I told myself to look normal and eventually I think I did. I looked into my arms and saw tears running down Carly's red, terrified face.

"It's okay. It's okay Carls. It was just a bad dream." She was still holding my face. I took her hands in mine and brought them down. I moved her to sit up. She was still sobbing slightly and sniffed on and off.

"You were screaming."

"I was?" She nodded.

"I'm sorry." I hugged her to me.

"It's not your fault. It was a dream." She showed no signs of letting go. My shirt was starting to feel wet where her face was laying. I looked at the clock on the cable box. It was 4:30 exactly. I heard shuffling from the room behind us. After a thud, Spencer came out dressed in black pants and a black blazer.

"Sam? Do you think Freddie's home yet?" He spoke quietly.

"He should be. I can call him if you want."

"No, he's right next door. I got it." He left to go find Freddie. I hardly heard the door close. Carly had gripped my shirt again.

"What's up, Cupcake?"

"I should go." I was going to say something, but had no idea what.

"I can't though."

"I know. It's okay. It's really hard.. It really, really sucks."

"He shouldn't have to go alone."

"He wont be alone, he's gonna have Freddie. I can call Gibby too if you want."

"I don't want to think about this."

"I know."

"I hate this."

"You should."

"I'm sorry." She looked up at me with sparking eyes and I was captivated. I felt myself leaning in until I kissed her.

I pulled back immediately when I realized what I had done. I saw the small smile on her face quickly fade.

"Sam-"

"Oh... Oh no."

"Sam, really it's okay."

"Here I am telling you that it's not the right time and then I'm all over you." My brain was pounding against my skull. I grabbed my head.

"Sam that was hardly all over me. It's okay, really it is." She was rubbing my back now.

"Carly, are you gonna be okay? I mean, Spencer just left. You sure you don't want to go?" She looked down quickly. I kicked myself mentally.

"Yeah." She started to get up very slowly. I shuffled to face her and watch her start up the stairs.

"I'm sorry, Carls. I-I really... I'm just sorry."

"Don't worry about it." She mumbled.

"Where are you going?"

"Shower...bath...something." I barely heard her as she turned the corner and was out of my sight. I hit myself in the head.

"You idiot." I told myself out loud. I got up and I wanted to go follow her, but I ended up pacing between the kitchen and the front door. I stopped in front of the stairs every time. Around the fourth pass I heard a soft "Sam?" coming from upstairs. I stopped dead in my tracks and scaled the stairs two at a time. My heart was racing, but I stopped for just a second to catch my breath. I turned into the room to see Carly standing by the bathroom door in a towel.

"Carly?" I approached her cautiously. She stared into the room.

"I don't want to be alone." She sounded eerily calm. I walked to her just as cautiously.

"Carls." I hesitated just a second before I put my arms around her from the back.

"Can you...can you just come in with me? You can look the other way or whatever..." She was sincere. I don't think that she was spazzing out like the other times. I nodded and pushed her through the doorway. The tub was already full so I let her go and walked away from her to go sit on the toilet seat lid. I stared at my feet. The only thing that made any noise was the dripping of the faucet for a long while. I looked up to see Carly with her face in her hands.

Without a second thought I was at her side. I took her hands away from her face and kissed her fingers. I never took my eyes off of her face. At least I could be that decent. Eventually she looked at me and wiped the tears from her eyes with her wet arm. I giggled at her and used my own sleeve to lightly dab her face. She smiled at me through her squinted eyes and I smiled softly back. Slowly, I felt us both move and she was kissing me but I was kissing her too.

"You're never gonna be alone, Carly." I whispered to her as I stroked her hair. I never took my eyes off her face. I never wanted to.