Panda Note: Well it seems that I've got another chapter for you. I hope it's awesome. I'll keep trying to make this as great as I possibly can. Just let me know when I start to suck guys.
Disclaimer: You'd think I would own something by now. You think Jerry Trainor will send me a lock of his sexy hair? No? I didn't think so either.
Chapter Two
Five days into October and Sam could already feel the buzz of a fall wedding in the air. She'd taken the entire week off from work as everyone else had, to set up for the wedding in Yakima. To think she'd be spending all her time off in a place like that.
Hammy didn't feel much like traveling in his old age and resigned to stay with the woman across the way from their apartment.
With bags packed she and Freddie headed for Spencer's, he thought it would be a great idea to all go together. She would have opted out of the entire thing if not for Carly, who was on board with it. Naturally Sam couldn't deny her best friend; again.
What Sam hadn't realized when she first agreed was that Spencer intended for them all to go in an RV. This wouldn't have been so bad, if not for the fact that the ride was only a two hour drive. They could have just as easily taken separate cars; incase of a much needed escape from the madness. Sam knew she'd need that escape when Carly got into 'crazy bride' mode. Her peppy brunette buddy was already showing early signs of blowing up at someone over the smallest thing. The blond feared for the days of 'pregnant' Carly.
What they found once arriving at Bushwell Plaza was not what they were expecting. In Spencer's parking spot outside—where his boat used to sit—was an old RV. It looked like it had taken a trip from the mid-1990s. They lived in a day and age where technology had advanced and cars ran a little better.
It was 2021 for goodness sakes!
"What's with the sour face?" Freddie asked as they parked and sat in Freddie's car for a few minutes.
"Spencer's idea of a joke." She stated; giving the rickety RV the stink eye.
"I thought you loved older vehicles?" the corners of his mouth turned up as he thought of her ancient blue truck up in vehicle heaven.
"Not when you're trapped in an RV with Spencer singing and swerving." she blotched. "I almost starved."
"The second hunt for Big Foot." Freddie grinned looking off into the distance wistfully. He had more fun than Sam and Carly did on that trip. "Well to be fair you ate up all your preserves before we even got out of Seattle." he stated as an afterthought to her remark.
"I don't do well in small spaces for long periods of time." she groaned, ignoring his jab about her eating far too much.
"I know." He allowed his hand to reach across and grasp hers, giving it a light squeeze. "I came prepared for that though." He said in a soothing voice. "I made sure to pack you plenty of meaty products."
"I knew there was a reason I kept you around." the young woman in the passenger seat stated cheekily.
"It could be my dashing good looks…" he started, giving her a little wink.
"You wish." she rolled her eyes and pushed the door opened.
The cold October air bit at her exposed limbs as she and Freddie worked their way to the trunk. She couldn't remember why she thought leggings and a skirt were a great idea. Even the thin sweater did nothing to prevent the chill of fall to enter and run down her spine.
Freddie grabbed most of their luggage and headed over to the RV, where Spencer was now standing; sailor hat on in all its glory. Lisa was acting most mischievous from what Sam could tell at her location by their car. She was dancing around behind Spencer, who kept waving his arms about as if he were landing planes. With a swift almost ninja-like skill she snatched the hat right off of his head and darted inside the RV.
Sam knew that her dear friend and role model had planned on driving, much to her boyfriend's chagrin. One thing about Spencer Shay; he loved being the captain of the ship. Having such a headstrong and intelligent girlfriend like Lisa left him reeling at times. He could deny her nothing, even giving up his seat as the driver. He just wished that he could say no to the woman.
Sam could already see the outcome of this journey; Spencer pouting in the passenger seat the entire way.
"Why can't we just take our car?" she asked no one in particular as she continued to eye the RV with untrusting eyes. She'd been standing out by the car freezing her tootsies off for a good ten minutes while her well trained boyfriend—wait—fiancé—got all the rest of their bags. It still felt strange to think of him as anything more than a boyfriend. Each day the thought of them actually going and getting married sunk in deeper. Maybe this feeling inside of her chest was what people referred to as 'cold feet'.
She'd always been so against the institute of marriage that actually doing it made her feel like a hypocrite. Yet she loved Fredward Benson more than she'd care to admit, even to him. It should be unhealthy, this love. So many times she'd wonder how it had all come down to this. She knew how they got together and could even write a novel length story about it—not that she would, writing was hard. What she couldn't grasp was how they worked like a well oiled machine. They fought frequently but never in a way that damaged their evening.
Yet it felt too perfect that they could be so happy.
Then she'd think of all their old friends from high school who got married. Some were already divorced at the age of twenty-seven.
Would they be the same way?
What made them any different than Gibby and his now ex-wife? What about Carly and David for that matter? Who's to say they'd make it?
Maybe she couldn't understand the after.
Sighing she grabbed her dark green backpack from the farthest corner of the trunk and flung it over her shoulder. Enough thought about what hasn't happened yet. She needed to get through the week and not kill anyone at this wedding.
Carly's choices in bridesmaids' were still hard to get used to. They were all a bunch a girly-girls, constantly giggling over the stupidest things. Her best friend required her to meet up with these girls twice a week to go over their part in the ceremony as well as their plans to throw Carly a bachelorette party. Sam would have much rather it be her and Carly, but didn't see any way of that happening. It was Carly's wedding and her celebration so Sam had no way of denying Carly.
Freddie looked up when she slowly made her way over, looking a little out of it. He'd seen this look more frequently as Carly's wedding came closer. She'd tell him it was nothing and go on about her business but he knew better.
He watched her as she walked over to the RV and climbed in and flopped on the couch. She grumbled as she dug through her backpack, searching for a fatcake.
Shaking his head he joined her while Carly and David sat at the table across from Sam playing a game of Go-Fish.
Spencer sat in the passenger seat as his girlfriend Lisa sat in the driver's seat. Her fingers hugged the torn up leather steering wheel as her foot revved up the engine.
"Don't pout Spence." she told her gunshot passenger, who slouched in his seat. "You can drive on the way home, promise." the smile on her face seemed to pacify him and he relaxed into his chair.
Sam shook her head at the pair and then turned her attention to the other couple, still playing Go-Fish. Carly laughed behind her handful of cards as David asked if she had a five of hearts.
"Go-Fish." she said. After he picked up a card she looked at her handful of cards and asked, "Seven of spades?"
"How do you keep doing that?" David groaned as he handed over the card.
"I'm just that good." she shrugged.
"It's true Davey-boy. If you want to win play war." Sam piped in as she relaxed her head on Freddie's lap.
"Shush Sam, don't give away my secrets." chided Carly playfully.
"The guy is gonna need to be prepared." shrugged the blond.
"Thanks Sam for the info." winked David.
Freddie looked at Carly and David as the continued their game. He'd been thinking about what he'd asked Sam a few weeks before this trip. He'd been asking so long that it didn't feel real yet. Maybe it wasn't done right? He could have asked her a different way, more romantic. Then again it was Sam, she hated when he did anything remotely romantic. His grand gestures never got the results he wished for at times. Then there were the big winners, the ones that took her breath away; those were keepers. Like when he rented out the paintball place for a whole day for their third anniversary. Sam and Spencer had gone to war while he remained at a distance.
He absentmindedly ran his fingers through her long curly hair. She hadn't cut in a few years and it was passed her hips. Whenever she straightened it the length almost touched her rear end.
Her eyes turned up to him through her bangs and she gave him a little smile. It always took him by surprise when her true feelings would shine through, whenever she looked at him. He could practically feel her unconditional love just looking into her eyes. It was staggering how apparent it was and yet he felt himself question it every single day. Was it bad that he still wasn't sure he was making the right decision for them?
Everything changes when you get married.
It could go one of two ways; they'd be blissfully happy or crash and burn. Then again no one was ever blissfully happy, even in marriage. Heck, they fought three or four times a day over nothing and everything. It's how their relationship had been for so many years, even before they got together. He wasn't expecting a change in that field but could they really do this for their entire lives?
Mentally shaking it off he returned to the girl in his lap who had fallen asleep. It was probably for the best that she passed out; Spencer had begun a round of singing about Root Beer.
After about an hour of Spencer's off key singing and David surrendering to Carly's amazing card skills; they'd stopped at a gas station.
Sam rubbed her eyes and lifted herself up and climbed out of the RV relic.
"Please for the love of ham sandwiches, tell me we're there!" cried Sam as she covered her ears, Spencer still singing in the front seat. The older man had decided to stay inside the ship while his captain went to get them some snacks. It always amazed Freddie how much Sam hated long trips with Spencer. He remembered their trip with her father before they were close, when they were taking her mother's remains to the ocean.
Those were dark times that just seemed to fade into the background of their life. She was still there in Sam's memories, though she didn't talk about her mother much anymore. He rarely thought about the woman, only meeting her a few times and seeing her in the home videos their parents used to shoot.
Whenever Sarah Puckett came to mind it would bring his father along. He and Marissa Benson never talked about it after their long talk. It just didn't seem like much would change what happened. Plus he was sure that the past still haunted her to this day. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if Sam were to decide one day that she was in love with someone else. He couldn't imagine loving another who wasn't Sam. But then he'd always thought that his own parents had a love like that, he was wrong.
"Yo Benson, move it!" snapped Sam, who was standing outside the RV door as the wind blew her hair around her. She looked amazing as she fought to keep it out of her eyes. It was apparent though that she wanted to get away from Spencer's singing.
"Coming." he said and jumped down.
She rolled her eyes and turned to head inside to get something to drink and maybe some ear plugs. He grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him again. She looked a little confused for a second as he smiled down at her and then pulled her to him. Still a bit lost by his actions she reluctantly brought her hands around him and gripped the back of his shirt.
"You alright there Freddifer?" she asked pressed into his shoulder.
He rarely hugged her for no reason and the way he was holding her said so much. Sometimes it was nice to know that his heart was hers, even when he could be with just about anyone, he didn't need to know that though.
"Yeah I'm fine, just felt like holding you."
Breaking apart, she looked at him still confused and grabbed his hand.
"Let's go loverboy." she rolled her eyes and pulled him along to the Gas-in-Go.
Upon returning to the RV they found that Carly and David had taken their seats behind the driver side. Shrugging it off they opted for the table near the door and pulled out a box of domino's.
Once the RV hit normal ground away from the highway, the group found themselves on 16th Avenue headed south. With the direction of Spencer and her own knowledge of Yakima; Lisa maneuvered through the town. The first think they saw to their right was Phillips Chani PhD Psychotherapist, someone that Carly and Spencer's father knew growing up. Spencer gave a little wave to the Yakima cinema on the left, on River Rd as they continued down 16th Avenue. He and Socko actually used to go there when they were little boys, before they moved to Seattle.
After passing a few spas and other homely establishments they came about Englewood Avenue and he had Lisa take a right.
"So Dad is here?" Carly asked leaning over her seat behind Lisa.
"Granddad said he got in early this morning." Spencer said, as happily as he could. As much as he loved his father, at times the man brought him down. Lisa hadn't yet met him and he was quite nervous they wouldn't get along. Not that his father's opinion mattered at all anymore but he didn't want Lisa's feelings hurt if his father were a bit too blunt.
"Don't sounds so overjoyed." Carly rolled her eyes.
"It's not that, I just know he's going to ask me about what I've been up to since 'Law School'. He always does." it was partly true, though Carly didn't need to know half the conversations they had.
The RV continued down the road passing Twenty-Eighth Avenue and working its way toward Fifty-Second Avenue.
"Maybe you should just tell him the true, it's been what ten years now? He'll be proud of you, I know I am." the younger of the Shay siblings stated smiling sweetly at her older brother.
Passing by all the numbered street signs they finally came upon fifty-second and made a left headed down towards Richey Rd. Making a right on Richey Rd and driving down to the seven house on the street they came to Conrad Shay's home. Because of the constant flow of visitors he kept the home he and the late Mrs. Lillian Shay shared for many years. It had four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a basement, one of the only real reasons to visit Yakima besides Granddad.
Sam had only been to Granddad Shay's house a few times and it still looked the same as she could remember. The exterior was long and only had a few small windows while the garage sat to the left end of the house. Lisa pulled the monster in right behind Granddad's deep blue Saturn.
Carly shot out of the RV before anyone even heard the door open. Outside stood an older gentleman, about fifty or so with his strong arms open to her. He was quite tall with a strong jawline and shaved off hair; just like all the military men Sam had seen in movies.
Sam walked over, with Freddie following behind and she grinned at him as his eyes grew wide.
"Samantha, always a pleasure." he stated stiffly, holding out his hand to her.
"Family doesn't shake hands, they hug!" she threw her arms back and then launched herself at him, trapping him in a hug.
Colonel James Shay's body became as stiff as a board for a second as Sam continued to rock back and forth.
"Uh, Sam." started Carly, "Could you let my dad go now?"
"Fine." the blond reluctantly released Carly's father who let out a sigh of relief, though he couldn't look her in the face.
"I trust you're well, Samantha?" he asked conversationally.
Sam raised an eyebrow at the Colonel and then shook her head.
"It's Sam, sir and I'm just peachy."
"I see you've brought young Fredward with you." he commented, looking as though he'd love nothing more than to be anywhere else but there.
"Dad, he likes being called Freddie. I told you last time." Carly stated rolling her eyes.
"Right, well your grandfather is inside waiting." he opened the door and ushered the three iCarly's into the house as Lisa and Spencer hung back.
After the three were inside Spencer approached his father and they sized one another up.
"Spencer." the other man nodded and held out his hand.
"Dad." Spencer returned and took his father's hand, grabbing it as hard as he could. His father used to tell him he had a weak handshake and needed to 'man' up. He was only ten for goodness sakes. "This is Lisa Ward, my girlfriend." he introduced, putting a firm palm to Lisa's back.
"Oh, this is the woman Carly's been telling me about. I hope you're keeping my boy on the right track?"
Lisa smiled up at Colonel Shay warmly.
"Of course, it's really a pleasure to meet you sir." she put her hand out to shake his and he reciprocated.
"I believe you've got a keeper Spencer, this girl's got a nice firm handshake."
"I used to train." she blushed as their hands let go at the same time.
"How about we get inside and get bedrooms and such situated?"
James Shay watched as his son and the girl—who he hoped would be his daughter-in-law—enter the house.
Panda Note: So I wasn't planning on ending this chapter here but I honestly need to for now. I've been sitting on this for over a week and just barely finished it. It's a bit rough around the edges so let me know what you liked or didn't like. It is a bit short, by my standards so I'll try to work on the next one soon.