Author's Note: Hey, everybody! I hope none of you are still hung over from last week's seasonal festivities ; ) I'm sober, but exceptionally tired because I've been sleeping at all the wrong hours this week. And I've been exceptionally lazy this week, so it took me extra long to write this chapter. So I apologise if this new update isn't up to my usual standards of brilliance. That was a joke by the way ; ) This is a long-ass chapter too, so hopefully I sorted out the various kinks afforded by this story in this particular chapter. You'll all be better judges of that, enjoy : )
Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly or 17 Again. Or the concept of transformation into a teenage boy. But damn, that would be way cool : )
Outside the house, the sound of crickets chirping away merrily filtered through the backyard and flittered amongst the lushly green trees. But inside the house, all four members of the Benson family remained silent, regarding each other with a mixture of amazement, confusion and apprehension as they stood together in the kitchen.
"Hey, kids." Carly greeted weakly with a lame wave of her hand, realising instantly how stupid she sounded.
"You guys are back early," she noted in a small voice.
"Yeah, um. Alex gave me a ride home," Matt replied awkwardly.
"And Jamie dropped me off – wait a minute! What's going on here?" Corrie demanded incredulously, staring between Freddie and Carly with alarm in her brown eyes.
Freddie and Carly gazed at one another blankly before turning to face the kids again.
"Well, the thing is…"
"Your Mom and I were just…"
"We were just about to…"
"It's a really funny story actually-"
"Are you guys getting back together?" Matt asked in surprise, staring between his parents and their scantily clad bodies in astonishment.
For the first time since their untimely intrusion, Carly locked eyes with her son, a look of determination etched on her face.
"Yes, Matt. Your Dad and I are actually back together." She confirmed truthfully.
"Since when?" Corrie demanded loudly.
"Since yesterday's game," Freddie offered knowingly.
"That's why you left yesterday? The two of you went off somewhere?" Corrie questioned suspiciously, staring between her parents, her eyes focused on Carly.
"Wait, you weren't at the game yesterday?" Matt asked slowly, staring in confusion at Carly.
"I was there for the start of the game with Corrie, honey. But then I left a few minutes later…with your Dad." Carly answered self-consciously.
"You left with Dad? But Dad wasn't even in the gym yesterday. Did you meet up somewhere?" Matt asked in confusion.
"I was at the school yesterday, Matt. I, uh…didn't quite make into the gym. But I caught up with your Mom as she was about to leave. And that's when we came back to the house…to talk." Freddie offered lamely.
"But the two of you have been fighting like crazy these past few months. I don't understand," Corrie protested vehemently, looking even paler than the start of the conversation.
Freddie stepped a fraction closer to his children as he tried his best to choose his next words very carefully.
"Corrie, I know this is a lot to take in and I'm sure you and your brother are very confused right now. But I want you to know how sorry I am about everything I've done lately. I know I haven't been the best husband or the best dad in a long time. I love you and Matt so much. And I love your mom with my whole heart. All I want is the opportunity to make things right again between the four us." Freddie declared earnestly.
"Oh really? And what brought on this startling revelation? Where is this even coming from all of a sudden? Where have you been for the past two months, Dad? Let me guess: you found God on a bus?" Corrie sneered derisively.
"That's enough, Corrie! Don't you dare speak to your Dad like that!" Carly exploded furiously, rounding on her teenage daughter.
"Carly, it's ok-" Freddie chided soothingly, but to no avail.
"No, it's not ok, Freddie! Corrie, you and I are gonna have a talk outside right now!" Carly fumed angrily.
"Forget it, Mom! A Mother-daughter chat in the backyard is not gonna convince me that everything is hunky-dory between you and Dad again!" Corrie shot back vehemently.
Matt hadn't said anything in a few minutes, but stood staring between his parents and his sister with wide eyes.
"Carly! Corrie! Just stop! This isn't working!" Freddie interjected loudly to stop them from fighting even more.
Both Carly and Corrie, who were poised to exchange more angry words, stopped short and stared at Freddie in confusion. He took a deep breath to steady his racing heart, the pulse points on his hands and neck vibrating like crazy beneath his skin.
"Corrie's right, Carly. It's not fair to ask her and Matt to accept that we're back together without some kind of explanation." Freddie offered more calmly after a few seconds.
"And we will give them an explanation, Freddie. As soon as everybody has calmed down sufficiently without jumping to any conclusions," Carly responded evenly, her face no longer flushed with anger.
"We can't wait till later, we have to talk about this right now. Carly, we have to tell them." Freddie stated seriously.
He shot Carly a meaningful look, causing Carly to gape in amazement at what he was suggesting.
"Freddie-"
"It's ok, Carly. I want to be completely honest. The kids deserve to know the truth about where I've been for the past two months…and about Felix." Freddie replied soberly.
Matt's ears pricked up at this.
"Felix? What does Felix have to do with this?" he asked sharply of his father.
"He has everything to do with this, Matt. And if you and Corrie let me, I'll try to explain it as best as I can." Freddie responded patiently.
Carly stepped towards Freddie and rested a comforting hand on his arm.
"Freddie, are you sure you want to do this?" she asked softly of him.
Freddie stared back down at Carly for a few seconds, getting lost in the depth of her love for him swimming around in her eyes like dancing amber flames. He knew that he was taking a huge gamble by clueing the kids in on the secret about his latest transformation and 'Felix'. But he didn't want to lie to them and lose their trust for good. He'd already experienced that with Carly first hand over the past few years and didn't want his children to end up resenting him in the long run.
"I'm sure. It's the right thing to do," he replied softly, a small smile dancing on his lips while he studied her face for a long while.
"What's the right thing to do? What's going on?" Corrie thundered impatiently.
"Corrie, you thought I went after your Mom yesterday when she left during the game, which I did. But do you also remember Felix Gibson leaving the game too around the same time?" Freddie prodded gently, turning his attention to his daughter momentarily.
"Of course I remember Felix leaving! He freakin' took off during the game and sprinted out of the gym! What does that have to do with anything?" Corrie demanded exasperatedly.
"It has everything to do with what happened between me and your Dad yesterday, Corrie." Carly stated seriously.
"I was upset at the start of the game, that's why I left so abruptly. And if you remember, Felix left the gym right after I did." She added softly, wanting to lead Corrie's thoughts in the right direction without actually saying the words herself.
But it wasn't Corrie who guessed at the truth first, it was Matt.
"Felix came after you," He surmised shrewdly.
Carly made no response, but simply nodded at her son.
"But why? Did he want to talk to you?" Matt asked carefully.
"He did. He managed to catch up to me before I left," Carly explained quickly.
"Did he tell you that he has a crush on you?" Matt questioned cautiously.
"How did you know about that?" Carly asked in surprise.
"He sort of told me about it two days ago. He asked me to meet him at the basketball courts outside school; he wanted to apologise about what went down at Uncle Gibby's house the other night." Matt explained nonchalantly.
"He did?" Carly questioned in awe, turning to catch Freddie's eye.
"Yeah, he did. He wanted to clear the air and make amends, I guess." Matt replied with a non-committal shrug.
"I take it that Felix mentioned to you that he wanted to leave town right after graduation? Make a clean break, start off new somewhere else?" Freddie prodded suddenly.
"Yeah, he did. Wait, how do you know about that?" Matt demanded sharply.
"Corrie, Matt. There's something you need to know about Felix Gibson," Freddie started in a would-be calm voice.
"There is no Felix Gibson, he doesn't exist. Uncle Gibby doesn't have a bastard son from some woman that he knocked up."
"Dad, what are you talking about? Of course there's a 'Felix Gibson'! He goes to Ridgeway High! He plays on the basketball team! He stays with Uncle Gibby! He threw a freakin' victory party at Uncle Gibby's house!" Matt shot back impatiently.
"I know this is hard to believe. But Felix Gibson doesn't exist." Freddie responded patiently.
"Ok, if he doesn't exist, then who have I been hanging out with for the past two months, Dad? Who helped me get onto the basketball team in the first place? Who helped me get a shot with Nicole? 'Cause if Felix didn't do any of those things, then who did?" Matt demanded heatedly.
Freddie regarded his son with a weary countenance before answering.
"It was me, Matt."
"I'm Felix Gibson."
Gibby and Tasha were over at his place, reclining leisurely on his brown leather sofa. After sharing a sumptuous breakfast together, they began watching "The Breakfast Club" together. Gibby had his arm draped around Tasha's shoulder while she sat snuggled against his chest, a bowl of popcorn resting comfortably on her lap, the two of them completely engrossed in the film.
"Seriously, this movie has to be regarded as one of the best teen flicks ever." Tasha noted seriously in-between chomping on a piece of popcorn.
"Tell me about it. This film got me through some dark days," Gibby mused pensively.
"Yeah? Did you have to suffer through a couple of wedgie bounces? That kind of thing was really popular back at my old school," Tasha remarked sympathetically.
"Nah, nothing as extreme as that. Just your run of the mill Indian wedgies, trash-can wedgies and nearly being forced into a bikini to eat dog food and wrestle other guys," Gibby offered nonchalantly.
"Um, ok. If that's run of the mill for you, then I'm glad I didn't go to your school," Tasha reflected laughingly.
"Yip, I had some pretty crazy times at Ridgeway back in the day. But they weren't all bad, just mostly interesting. It was high school and being a teenager, I guess." Gibby replied simply.
"Speaking of teenagers, I haven't seen Felix around all day. Is he upstairs in his bedroom?" Tasha questioned curiously.
"He's not at home." Gibby offered quietly.
Something in Gibby's tone made Tasha feel uneasy. She lifted up her head from his chest to stare at him with unabashed curiosity.
"Where is he? Is he hanging out with Matt or one of the other boys on the basketball team?" she asked carefully.
"Uh no, he isn't." Gibby replied slowly.
After another second of speculation, he continued.
"He's gone home." He added carefully.
"What are you talking about? This is his home." Tasha stated doggedly.
"I meant back home to Connecticut." Gibby amended softly.
"He's gone back to live with his mom?" Tasha demanded in awe, leaning back ever so slightly to stare at Gibby in confusion.
"Yeah, he has."
"When did he leave?"
"Uh, yesterday."
Gibby grew confused when Tasha continued goggling at him in astonishment.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" he asked curiously.
"Gibby, how can you be so calm about this?"
"What do you mean, Tasha?"
"I mean…your son left Seattle! It's not even the end of the semester! Graduation's in a few weeks' time!" Tasha exclaimed anxiously.
"He didn't want to stay." Gibby replied slowly.
"Why not? I thought the two of you were getting along. He's only been here for a few months. I thought he came to live with you so that you could bond with him." Tasha declared seriously.
"He did, and we have. Felix didn't leave because we had a fight or anything. I didn't want him to leave; it was his decision." Gibby replied earnestly.
That part of the entire debacle was actually true. Gibby had been rudely woken up around 6am that morning from a vivid dream involving 'Principal Goodvibes' by a phone call from Freddie. Naturally, Gibby had been worried when he had returned home the day before and found that Freddie wasn't at home after one of Ridgeway's staff members told Tasha that Felix had left in the middle of the basketball game.
Freddie called Gibby to reassure him that everything was fine and to tell him that he had spent the night at his old home with Carly. Gibby was over the moon for his two best friends, who sounded like they were well on their way to giving their marriage another try. But as for right now, he wasn't doing nearly a good enough job of convincing his new girlfriend that he was sad to see his 'fake son' leave so abruptly.
"But why?" Tasha pressed impatiently.
"It was just…time." Gibby replied lamely.
"It was just time?" Tasha countered in disbelief.
"Don't you even care that he's gone?" she demanded incredulously.
"Of course I care that he's gone, Tasha. I'm gonna miss him a lot. But come on, it's not like he was stay here while he went away to college. He was gonna leave no matter what, whether it was yesterday or a month from now."
"That's not the point. I um…I have to go."
Now it was Gibby's turn to be astonished when Tasha got up abruptly from the sofa and out of his arms and began looking for her jacket.
"Tasha! Where are you going?"
"I'm going home."
"What? Why?"
"Because I just can't be around you right now, Gibby." Tasha responded in a shaky voice.
"Why? Have I upset you or something?" Gibby asked in confusion.
"Yes, Gibby. You have," Tasha retorted hotly while putting her hands through the sleeves on her trench coat.
"What did I do?"
"Your son just left home and you've barely blinked about it."
"What did you want me to do, Tasha? What was I supposed to do? Lock him up in his bedroom till the end of the school year? Felix wanted to go back home, it was his choice. Why don't you tell me what's really bothering you?" Gibby questioned vehemently.
"I just think you're being awfully cavalier about all the important variables in this situation. High school is an important stage in Felix's life." Tasha persisted passionately.
"Tasha, this isn't a big deal, trust me. He'll back in Seattle in a few weeks' time for graduation, whatever."
"Whatever? What about finals?"
"Come on, it's not a big deal. He's a smart kid. We'll figure something out."
"You're right, it doesn't sound like a big deal at all. Just a done deal," Tasha spat disdainfully as she grabbed her purse savagely.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Gibby demanded heatedly.
"Nothing, just forget about it," Tasha responded shortly as she opened the front door.
It took Gibby another two seconds before realising just exactly what was happening in that moment. Tasha really cared about Felix's well-being and the fact that he looked like he didn't care that much about his 'fake son' had hurt her. And now it looked like she was about to break up with him because of it.
"Tasha, wait!" Gibby called out, running through the front door after her.
Tasha was just opening up the door to her car standing in the driveway when Gibby finally caught up with her.
"Look, I'm sorry. That totally came out all wrong with Felix," Gibby stated hurriedly while trying to catch his breath.
"Just wait a second, please." He added pleadingly.
"I can't, Gibby, I have to go." Tasha replied slowly as she got into her car and sat in the driver's seat.
"Tasha, wait! I'm sorry, I messed up. Just tell me what to do to fix this," Gibby pleaded earnestly.
"There's nothing you can do to fix this. We've barely started dating, Gibby, and I already feel like you're keeping secrets from me. Why did Felix really leave?" Tasha asked painstakingly.
Gibby sighed loudly before answering.
"I can't tell you why," he replied wearily.
Tasha nodded and began fastening her seat-belt around her shoulder and stomach.
"Tasha," Gibby begged sadly.
"There's nothing more to say, Gibby. I thought you were different from all the other guys I've ever dated, who turned out to be jerks. I thought you were sweet, sensitive, smart and independent. But mostly, I loved the fact that you were so close to your son – a boy that you've only recently gotten to know, a boy whose well-being I happen to care about. I thought you felt the same way, but I guess you don't." Tasha replied dejectedly.
"That's not true at all. Tasha, listen to me, I am all of those things. I'm not a jerk, I promise. I care about you so much, and I care about Felix. It's just that…" Gibby trailed off uncomfortably while Tasha stared at him, waiting for him to continue.
Tasha hadn't pulled out of the driveway yet, so Gibby took that as a good sign. But he also knew that she was moments away from walking out of his life for good. Gibby knew that he had to fix this somehow – but what could he do?
"Gibby?" Tasha asked unexpectedly.
"Tasha, can I ask you something?" Gibby asked carefully after about two seconds.
"Ok." Tasha answered uncertainly.
"Do you believe in the supernatural? I mean…do you believe that the supernatural can affect our ordinary lives on a regular basis?" Gibby questioned seriously, leaning over the top of the car door.
Tasha wordlessly unbuckled her seatbelt. Gibby stepped back to allow her to get out of the car again till she was standing in front of him.
"I don't know, I guess. I mean, I believe that there's a higher power somewhere up above that affects our lives and influences them in a big way. Why do you ask?" Tasha asked seriously.
"Tasha, there's something that I want to tell you. I'm just not sure how you'll react or if you'll believe me." Gibby began uncomfortably.
"Try me." Tasha remonstrated seriously.
"It's about Felix – the real reason why he left." Gibby stated softly.
"What is it? He hasn't ridden off past the moon on a bicycle like ET, has he?" Tasha joked feebly, a trace of weariness still evident in her tone.
"Not quite. Felix isn't an alien, Tasha. But he's not my son either."
Then Gibby squared his shoulders and began explaining a very strange tale.
An hour later, both Corrie and Matt were outside the house. After what ended up being a very short discussion, Corrie had taken up a position leaning against Carly's black SUV while Matt dribbled his basketball around the driveway, aiming a few well-placed free throws at the hoop.
"What do you think Mom and Dad are doing in there?" Matt asked conspiratorially of his sister.
Corrie shrugged in response, her hands trembling at her sides.
"Who the hell knows? I hope they're calling a shrink though," she muttered darkly.
"Yeah, tell me about it. This is pretty crazy," Matt admitted in a far-away voice.
Corrie, who had been idly toying with her cellphone all the while, looked up and stared at Matt with an unfathomable expression on her face.
"Matt, please tell me you're not buying what Dad told us earlier," she remonstrated disbelievingly.
After the ball hit the back board with a loud thump, Matt grabbed the ball and tucked it under his arm, a pensive expression playing on his face.
"I honestly don't know what to think, Corrie." Matt admitted truthfully.
"But what Dad's saying is totally nuts, right? There's no way in hell that he and Felix Gibson are the same person!" Corrie exclaimed vehemently.
"That's just it, Corrie. As crazy as it sounds, I don't think we can rule it out," Matt observed thoughtfully.
"Oh, not you too," Corrie complained disdainfully while pinching the bridge of her nose.
"I'm serious. You weren't around Felix as much as I was. There are just certain things that are hard to ignore," Matt stated seriously while aiming off another shot at the hoop.
"Like what?" Corrie asked curiously, coming to stand closer to her brother.
"Just stuff like…things Felix would say to me from time to time. I always thought he was really mature for a guy who was supposed to be 17 years old. He always talked about things (especially about relationships) like he was talking from experience. It was also the way he talked about you too, Corrie." Matt explained slowly.
"What kind of things did he say about me?" Corrie asked curiously in spite of herself.
"He said…well, expressed things like…disappointment. Disappointment in your choices," Matt answered awkwardly.
"My choices? Like…Reed?" Corrie asked in awe.
"That came up a few times," Matt offered with a sarcastic smile.
"There was other stuff too. Like…after you got into that big fight with him at West Seattle Bowl, he told me things like how he doesn't want you to throw your life away by shacking up with Reed and missing out on going to Stamford and stuff."
"Plus, there was that one time when I brought Felix back here and he antagonised Aunt Sam! Mom always said that Dad was the only one who ever got Aunt Sam riled up like that!" Matt pointed out vehemently.
"Aunt Sam hates kids in general! That's not proof!" Corrie shot back impatiently.
"It was also the way he talked to me too, especially after he found out about Reed bullying me…he was just really concerned about my well-being, kinda the way a Dad might be," Mat concluded soberly.
"That's great, Matt, really. All of that was just super touching. But you're forgetting one little important fact," Corrie hissed crisply, suddenly vehement in her pacing.
Matt watched Corrie stop in front of him and was surprised to find angry tears in her eyes.
"What?" he asked curiously.
"None of what you just said describes Dad at all. Or at least, he hasn't been that way for a long time." Corrie answered painstakingly while wiping away at a tear that escaped her eyes with her fingertips.
Matt hesitantly reached out and put a lone hand on his older sister's shoulder. He gained a little more courage when she didn't slap it away like she normally would.
"I'm sorry, Cor. Most of the time, I feel like I'm the only one who was hurt by Mom and Dad wanting a divorce. I guess I forget sometimes that it must hurt you more," he offered sympathetically.
"I don't know why though; I've been pretending not to care for years. It was just easier not to; that way, I couldn't get more hurt or be more disappointed with anything or anyone." Corrie offered seriously while staring off into space for a few seconds.
"I know what we heard is a pretty crazy story. But maybe we should try and hear Dad out, just this once." Matt chided soothingly.
"Give me one good reason why," Corrie snapped impatiently, changing tune almost immediately.
"Because…crazy story or not, I haven't seen Dad this jazzed up about anything in years. I really think he means it this time, Corrie." Matt replied sincerely.
"It's also the way he looks at Mom too," he added more seriously.
Corrie, who had her head bent over while pacing, snapped to attention at this.
"How does Dad look at Mom?" she asked curiously in spite of herself.
"Like he's just seen her for the first time in his life. Like she's the only woman that he wants to spend today and forever with," Matt answered pensively.
"Felix said he's been in love with the same girl ever since he was 17 years old," Corrie interjected abruptly, a part of the puzzle coming together in her mind while looking at her youngest brother.
Matt looked over at Corrie before coming to stand next to her again.
"Felix said something similar to me too, when I was having trouble talking to Nicole in the beginning. He said he'd once dated the most beautiful girl at his old school. He said he broke her heart, and that was the one thing he's always regretted doing in his whole life." Matt remarked stoically.
"Mom…" Corrie breathed in astonishment.
"Yeah," Matt agreed, matching her tone.
"I know seeing them together like that this morning in the kitchen was a big shock…and really creepy and wrong. But if anyone has a right to be most upset with Dad, it's Mom. And if she can give him another chance, then we maybe can at least try too, for her sake." Matt declared sensibly.
Corrie studied Matt's face for a few seconds before coming to a sudden decision. She looked up at the sky and rolled her eyes before turning to face Matt again.
"Fine, I'll give this a shot. But we're far from done talking to our dear parents. You talk to Mom, I'll tackle Dad," she instructed firmly.
"Deal." Matt agreed rapidly.
After a quick handshake, the two Benson siblings went their separate ways: one through the front door and one through the back.
Gibby sat down on his sofa and rested against the comfy headrest with a loud sigh. His conversation with Tasha about Felix had taken all of 20 minutes. And after that, she had hopped into her car and made a hasty exit out of his driveway, burning rubber on the residential street in front of his house.
That had been almost 30 minutes ago. Gibby shook his head and cupped his head in his hands. He'd been so sure that Tasha was different from the rest, a beautiful and sophisticated woman whose superior intellect and tolerance might have been able to give him a fair hearing on any other day that didn't involve crazy stories about middle-aged men turning into teenage boys. He should've known better from the start that a woman like Tasha could have any man she wanted; what did she need a screw-up like him for?
He was so engrossed in his own morbid thoughts of self-pity that he almost didn't hear the loud knocking on his front door. After about the fifth knock, Gibby looked up in confusion when he heard someone calling his name in close proximity. He got up slowly from the sofa and made his way to the front door, unlocking it and opening it wide.
"Tasha?" Gibby asked incredulously.
"Hi," Tasha greeted with a lame wave of her hand.
"Can I come in? Thanks," she announced all in one breath as she side-stepped Gibby and strolled into the hallway.
Gibby shook his head experimentally like knocking water out of his ears before he silently shut the front door behind him.
"What are you doing back here? When you left 30 minutes ago, I thought you weren't coming back," Gibby stated morosely.
"I thought so too. I mean, what you told me about Felix actually being Freddie Benson, your best friend in the whole wide world, was completely insane. But then I drove past a comic book store on my way home and I made an abrupt decision to pull over. And then I got a sudden impulse to buy this," Tasha explained rapidly, shoving something papery into Gibby's hands.
Gibby looked down and saw that Tasha had shoved what looked like a newly purchased comic book in his hands.
"It's 'The Time Traveller' series." Gibby noted slowly.
"Comic book 347 entitled 'The Spirit Guide'. This is one of the comic books you showed Freddie after he 'transformed', right?" Tasha asked persistently.
"Definitely one of them. You've read it before?" Gibby asked curiously.
"Only about 10 times before I even met you." Tasha answered truthfully.
"So…?" Gibby asked tentatively while searching Tasha's eyes.
"I believe you, Gibby. I know your story sounds completely crazy and far-fetched, but I can't help believing it. I thought you were pretty bizarre when I first met you, so this should be a drop in the bucket after everything." Tasha declared breathlessly.
Then before Gibby could stop her, Tasha wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and began kissing him passionately. Gibby disentangled himself from her a few seconds later, panting loudly, confusion etched all over his face.
"What was that all about?" he questioned in bewilderment.
"Comic book stories turn me on," Tasha answered earnestly.
"But I thought that you didn't have sex on the first date," Gibby protested weakly.
"Gibby, we've already been on a first date that night at Petrozinni's, when I first wanted to have sex with you. Then we spent the whole afternoon in the Japanese Garden inside the Washington Park Arboretum yesterday, which could count as a second date. And this morning, I came over to have breakfast with you and we cuddled on your couch watching movies together. I want you more than I can stand right now. Plunder my dungeon, Gibby." Tasha commanded in a no-nonsense tone.
An look of intrigue swept over Gibby's face while he studied Tasha's brown eyes, which were dancing with smoldering flames of desire before his eyes dragged down to her pouty lips, swollen from his kisses. He made up his mind a second after that.
"To Nug Nug's Cruiser!" Gibby bellowed excitedly, referring to his king-size bed.
Then Tasha yelped in surprise when Gibby literally swept her off of his feet and into his arms, practically sprinting up the stairs with her to his bedroom. And after letting her back down to stand on her own two feet, Tasha took charge and pushed Gibby down onto the bed, covering his body with hers. In a matter of seconds, Gibby's hands were fisted through Tasha's gorgeous brown locks, kissing her deeply while Tasha reciprocated, making strange panting noises of pleasure all the while that were reminiscent of Nug Nug's pet moon ferret.
While Matt went through the front door and took Carly aside to talk to her in the living room, Corrie took Freddie quite forcefully by the hand and led him outside to the patio so they could talk in private. Matt and Carly wound up sitting across from each other on bar stools around the kitchen counter. For the moment, Matt chose to ignore the fact that his parents had been goofing around on the marble surface not too long ago while focusing his attention on his mother.
"You ok, honey?" Carly asked in concern, reaching over to take her son's hand.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Mom. Just a little confused I guess," Matt admitted softly.
"I understand perfectly. I know this is a lot to take in. But I want you to know that your Dad and I love you and Corrie so much. No matter what happens from here on out, we are always gonna put your needs and wants first." Carly responded earnestly.
"You don't have to do that, Mom. Corrie and I aren't little kids anymore, we know how this goes. If you and Dad wanna be together again, we're not gonna stand in your way. I guess we just wanna make sure that you're doing the right thing, both of you." Matt stated seriously.
"We are, Matt. I'm not saying your Dad and I didn't have problems before or that anything's perfect right now. But we're gonna try our hardest to make our marriage work, for us and for you and Corrie. I want us to be a family again. I'm just sorry that both your Dad and I were too stubborn to figure this out months ago. If we had, we could've avoided a lot of hurt and spared you and Corrie a lot of pain." Carly responded painstakingly, a few tears slipping from her eyes.
"Don't cry, Mom. It's gonna be ok. Everybody makes mistakes. Maybe you and Dad could've figured all of this out sooner. But I'd rather you guys figure it out after a long time than not at all. I know Dad hurt you. But whatever you decide, I'll stand by you, Mom." Matt declared loyally.
Carly got up from her chair and moved to Matt. Then she put her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, kissing him on the side of his head.
"Oh, Matty. When did you suddenly grow up and become such a wise and mature young man? I love you so much," she whispered intently while holding him close.
"I love you too, Mom." Matt answered truthfully, but somewhat awkwardly.
"Will you promise me something, Matt?"
"Anything, Mom."
"It doesn't have to be just yet because you still have to process everything that's happened today. But I want you to promise me that you'll try to give your Dad another chance. He's made a lot of mistakes, but I know that he loves you and Corrie so much. Please don't shut him out," Carly remonstrated genuinely.
Matt only hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering.
"I'll try, Mom." He replied stoically.
As father and daughter stood near the finished hammock, Freddie couldn't help noticing how much Corrie resembled her mother when she was annoyed with him in particular.
"So you and Matt talked things over in the driveway?" Freddie asked quietly, starting the ball rolling.
"Yeah, we did. I'm not saying that I'm completely sold on your whole story, but for Mom's sake, I'm not gonna throw my toys out of the cot." Corrie replied steadily.
"Wow, Corrie, that's really big of you-"
"I'm not finished yet, Dad. There's still one more thing we need to discuss." Corrie interjected sternly.
"What's that?" Freddie asked in bewilderment, not knowing what his daughter was getting at.
Corrie tapped her foot impatiently before ploughing on with what she wanted to say.
"I'm talking about what happened between me and Felix. By the bleachers at school on the day Reed broke up with me and later that night at Uncle Gibby's house." She answered seriously.
Freddie gulped down sudden bile in his throat, feeling strangely nauseated at the prospect of this discussion.
"With everything you told us today, I would normally say that it's best to just let everything out into the open. But not this, especially when I basically made a…a move on Felix, who turned out to be my own father. No one can find out about this, Dad. Especially not Mom." Corrie warned heatedly.
"Well, honey, that's gonna be a bit of a problem since I…already told her." Freddie replied in a small voice.
"You what?" Corrie thundered in mortification.
"Dad, please tell me you're kidding!
This wasn't supposed to be funny at all, yet Freddie couldn't stop laughing. Perhaps it was the release of all the tension he'd been suffering under lately that prompted this unexpected reaction. But Freddie was glad that the endorphins were finally rushing up to his brain, filling him with serene joviality.
"How can you find this remotely funny?"
"Believe me, it wasn't my original intention."
"This is so not funny, Dad! It's twisted and wrong. It's incestuous!"
"True. But it was an honest mistake. Not necessarily one that anyone could make, but a mistake nevertheless. We should be thankful that nothing came of it. If I can put it behind me, then so can you, Cor."
"Dad, what are you talking about? What about Mom? Isn't she furious?" Corrie demanded hysterically.
"Of course not, sweetheart. Your Mom understands and she certainly doesn't judge you. Look, I know it's gonna take a while before everything returns to some semblance of normality. But I'm willing to try if you are." Freddie offered in an accommodating tone.
"What Felix said in Health Class a month ago about loving your baby girl and stopping anything from hurting her…did he mean that?" Corrie asked in a small voice, turning to face Freddie.
"Of course he-I meant it, Corrie. I meant every word that I've said in the past two months." Freddie declared honestly.
"But I thought I was the reason you and Mom fell apart in the first place. You wouldn't have married her if she hadn't been pregnant with me." Corrie stated miserably, unshed tears blooming in her eyes.
"That's not true. I married your Mom because I love her, I always have. You didn't keep us apart, you brought us together. When you were born, I promised myself right then and there that I would do everything in my power to always love and protect you. No matter how old you get, you'll always be my little girl, Corrie. I just want the chance to make it up to you." Freddie responded vehemently, unshed tears forming in his eyes too.
Corrie didn't stop Freddie when he leant in and hugged her briefly.
"I believe you. But there's just one more thing I need from you, Dad." Corrie began softly when Freddie eventually disentangled himself.
"Anything, honey." Freddie remarked without blinking.
"If you and Mom decide to go for marriage counselling because of all these whacky incidents the past few months, would you mind booking me an appointment with a psychologist? I'm gonna need a lot of intensive therapy as of this moment." Corrie answered with shaky laughter.
Freddie began laughing uncontrollably at this as he slipped an arm around Corrie's shoulder and pulled her to his side.
"I'd be happy to, Corrie." He promised with a broad smile while kissing her cheek.
After the kids had excused themselves and gone off to their bedrooms, Freddie and Carly stood together in the kitchen, lost in their own thoughts.
"What a morning," Freddie noted wearily.
"Tell me about it. I'm glad that's over with," Carly agreed wholeheartedly, referring to their conversations with the kids.
She let her head droop and rest on Freddie's shoulder while his hand slipped around her waist while they leant against the kitchen sink.
"Wait! There's one more thing we have to do, Carly!" Freddie exclaimed in horror.
"What's that?" Carly asked in confusion.
"Look, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself and I know that we agreed to take things slow. But we are sort of in the middle of getting a divorce, at least we were the other day when I came to the courthouse with Gibby to stop you-"
"Freddie-"
"I can't believe how stupid that whole entrance was and Gibby showing up with that fake law degree in his hands-"
"Freddie-"
"I don't blame you for going through with it, you had every right to, Carly. But we might need to call up our lawyers and talk to the judge again to get the order reversed-"
"FREDDIE!"
"What?" Freddie asked in confusion, surprised by Carly's sudden exclamation.
"We're not divorced, at least not for another month." Carly answered simply.
"We're not? B-b-but how?" Freddie questioned in bewilderment.
"After Felix read me that 'letter' in court and left with Gibby, I sort of asked the judge if we could stall the matter for just a little while. So the judge postponed the case till next month." Carly explained seriously.
"Well that's great, but I don't understand. Why did you postpone the divorce, Carly? I thought you wanted to go through with it." Freddie stated softly.
"I never wanted a divorce, Freddie. I was hurt, confused and angry with you, with me, with how bad things had become between us with our marriage and our family. You weren't the only one who gave up in the end and just let things happen the way it did. But I don't wanna do that anymore. I wanna make things work this time. I love you so much, Freddie. I never stopped for a second; it just took me a while to realise what I was giving up on with us." Carly declared earnestly, moving closer towards Freddie.
"You really mean that?" Freddie asked slowly, trying to keep the desperate hope in his voice down to a minimum.
"Every single word." Carly replied with a broad smile on her face.
"Which reminds me, I have something that belongs to you." She added abruptly.
Freddie frowned in confusion when Carly turned on her heels and exited the kitchen, leaving him standing there by the sink. She returned a few seconds later with a small object resting in the palm of her hand.
"I believe this is yours, Mr. Benson." Carly stated airily.
"My wedding band," Freddie whispered in awe, staring down at the gold ring in Carly's hand.
Without an ounce of hesitation, Carly took the ring and began sliding it gently onto the fourth finger on Freddie's left hand.
"You really shouldn't leave something this valuable lying around, especially on patio furniture. If we're gonna try this for a second time, you're gonna need this to make it stick. It's the only way other women are gonna know not to make a pass at you in future. You're all mine, Freddie." Carly declared with a devilish grin on her face as she slipped Freddie's ring back on his finger.
Freddie looked away from her and stared down at his finger. He'd been wearing the ring on a gold chain while he was still a teenager, especially on game days. The gold band felt a little snug on his finger, which was slightly chubby from age. But the ring was finally back where it belonged. He was finally back where he belonged. A small lump rose up in his throat as he turned towards Carly and cupped her face in his hands.
"I love you so much, Carly. So help me God, I'm going to do my best to make you the happiest woman alive, Mrs. Benson." He breathed sincerely.
"You already have, Mr. Benson." Carly offered with a radiant smile which took Freddie's breath away.
With a jubilant laugh, Freddie swooped down onto Carly and kissed her lips hungrily and fervently, getting lost in the sensation for a few seconds. And when he pulled away, Carly moved forward and embraced Freddie tightly, holding him close all the while as they stood together in the kitchen.
Author's Note: Aww, wasn't that a deliciously sappy conclusion? Mind you, this is only the second last chapter though. The conclusion to this delightful story will up on FF next weekend, if I'm not impeded by a spontaneous blackout caused by Eskom, South Africa's leading (and the only) provider of electricty and power ,':[ I don't know what's been wrong with me lately, I've been deliriously calm and amicable all week. Mind you, this is not normal behaviour on my part, call it a 2011 resolution if you will ; ) I hope I infused the right amount of emotion into this chapter, along with a dash of hilarity. I finally watched "iEnrage Gibby" for the first time this week on Nickelodeon, which was freakin' hilarious, so that played a big hand in the Tibby subtext ; ) I hope you all have a fantabulous weekend, pip pip cheerio!