Panda Note: What can I say, here's another chapter of Crane. I know a few of you are concerned with the direction of the fic but if I'm gonna do this story its gonna be from my awesome panda brain. That also means you gotta trust me and hold onto your seats! Reviews are definitely appreciated in this process, helps me want to write more, knowing you all are reading! Okay let's do this!

Disclaimer: Guess what! Nope I still don't own iCarly, but I do own a foxy Spencer…in my dreams, who flies me around in a helicopter, with his sexy long hair…..

Chapter Five

"Wait, not there."

"But it's the perfect place, Sam."

"Oh, fine."

Spencer grinned at his strangely simple victory and placed the taco with Fettuccini Alfredo onto the platter. Sam had been dying to try out Spencer's creation with a different type of pasta for ages and thought Carly's return would be the perfect time.

The clock on the wall moo-ed loudly as the final Alfredo taco was placed decoratively on the plate. It was seven at night and Freddie was supposed to show up an hour ago. She did her best to avoid showing her blatant disappointment.

Just as the clock's big hand worked its way toward the seven the front door opened and he walked in.

When had she become that woman who cares when someone arrives late or doesn't at all? Sam could remember a time when she could care less about where someone was. What made this time different? Was it because it just happened to be Freddie?

Whatever the reason she was quite annoyed with herself over the entire thing. Freddie had no real reason to check in with her, she wasn't his wife. Part of her wondered if she would ever be, mainly because of how far away he seemed from her.

If this had been a few years ago she would have punched herself in the face for thinking any of it.

He walked over to her and places a kiss to her cheek, which she found herself wiping off with a look of disgust on her face, like always.

She was not in the mood for his random shows of affection, not after the news she received from the vet earlier that day.

Don't think about that now, she thought and shoved it off to the side for later.

Hammy hobbled into the kitchen in search of scraps that Sam would accidentally drop on the floor. He knew better and munched happily on some of the noodles. Freddie always hated when she'd do that for Hammy, saying that he was going to gain weight with all the human food she gave him.

Of course Sam never paid any mind to Freddie and his prattling and did as she wished. It made Hammy happy.

"Sorry I'm so late, traffic was ridiculous out there," Freddie explain taking off his jacket and placing it onto the back of the free kitchen chair.

"Uh huh," Sam mumbled while she and Spencer finished up with the salad, chopping and slicing all the ingredients together.

Freddie looked up at her and raised an eyebrow but said nothing in reply.

Carly appeared then, coming down the stairs with her husband following behind.

"You guys are back!" Freddie said with a grin as he went over to hug both his friends.

"Obviously dill-weed," grumbled Sam.

She proceeded to place the platter of Alfredo tacos onto the kitchen table while Spencer brought the salad. Freddie frowned but let it go; it was obvious that she was back to normal, for the most part. He could tell though that something was on her mind that she wished not to share.

"Soups on!" cried Spencer dramatically, banging on a large pot.

"But you didn't make soup," commented Lisa.

"I could have…" he pouted.

"But you didn't," she smiled and shook her head.

Just as everyone made their way to the table Marissa and Roger walked in, lightly flushed and looking mildly embarrassed. No one commented or seemed to notice, except for Sam. She didn't want to know what they had been up to. It was best that she not think too much about her father with anyone let alone Mrs. Benson.

Hammy decided to go home with Freddie and Sam didn't mind so much, she needed some time alone. The rain had returned to Seattle in a rush and surprised all. Sam rolled the driver's side door down and allowed the rain to flow into her car. She knew that she would have to tell Freddie what she had learned from the vet soon, but it hurt too much to think about. As close as she and Freddie were there was nothing he could do for her at that moment. He couldn't evaporate the pain in her chest and she wasn't the type to fall into a man's arms the moment things got hairy. But he had the right to know that something was wrong, especially when it concerned Hammy.

Sam found herself parked at Roger's recording studio, not really knowing how she managed to get there. He wouldn't be there today, it was Friday and he closed up shop for their family dinners. Something about coming back here after so long stirred up memories of the times that she had run off to talk to her father, who had been a stranger at the time. It was amazing what a few years could do to a person. Part of her couldn't really remember what life was like without Roger in it. She could barely remember not liking the man at all. But somehow he had pushed himself into her life and rooted himself there, refusing to leave. For that she was eternally grateful.

With a sigh she decided it was time to head back home and face the music or avoid it at all costs.

Carly Shay would never call herself noisy or snoopy but this was a case she couldn't ignore. As she and David headed home she couldn't help but think back to their family dinner. Her two best friends were acting stranger than usual and it concerned her to no end. She might have noticed something off at her wedding but was far too distracted to dig deeper. She had been gone for a bit and had no idea what happened since she returned. Carly knew the ins and outs of the couple and this wasn't their usual thing. Something happened; something drastic had changed the dynamic of the pair so much that they were oceans apart, even as they sat beside each other at the table.

She could remember Sam looking sad but covering up for everyone else. Carly knew her dear friend and could pick up on her mood changes. Her dear blond friend was most distressed about something and Carly didn't know how long she could pretend to not notice it.

David borrowed Spencer's car and drove the two home, leaving Carly to sit silently beside him. He hummed quietly to the music playing on the radio while Carly hummed a different tone in her head, one of worry and distress.

A week had passed since Carly's return and the media was abuzz about her recent return from her honeymoon. Sam sighed and switched over to her iPear. Being involved with the music industry and having a father who worked with a bunch of great bands; she had a vast collection of music. Lately she had been blasting an old CD from 2010 by Avenged Sevenfold. As depressing as the tracks were to some extent she continued to bob her head and drum her fingers along to the beats.

She had just left work and was headed over the iCarly studio where they did their usual Friday night shows. Surprisingly she was going to be early, which was a new world record for her.

Sam had no idea what was going on with her lately, she was so withdrawn and depressed. Never in her life had she fallen this far, not even when her mother died.

The piano solo in 'Fiction', brought her back from her thoughts and she turned it up. It was a beautifully crafted song and one of her favorites. Their newer stuff was just as amazing but something about this album always got to her.

As she neared the parking lot to the iCarly studio, the song 'Buried Alive' began and she had to shut it off before the best part.

She passed by a few people and didn't give her usual greeting of 'heys' and other random things. Freddie was off near the dressing rooms with his clipboard in hand, headset around his neck. He scribbled down something and pointed to Frank the crew manager and gave an order while calling for Carly to get to make-up.

Sam found herself standing off to the side watching him work his magic and couldn't hide the smile slowly working its way on her lips.

"What are you lookin' at?" she snapped at a passerby who decided to give her a look. He scampered off and Sam could only roll her eyes. She couldn't just stand around admiring her man at work?

Almost as though he had supersonic hearing Freddie's head snapped up and turned toward her. She gave a nod of her head and sauntered over to him.

"You're here early?" he asked. He hadn't meant it as a question but it seemed to have exited his lips that way.

"It appears I am Fredwad," she scoffed and folded her arms over her chest.

"Then head over to wardrobe and get dressed then join Carly over at make-up, we've got half an hour before the show starts." he stated in his best professional tone. It always made her chuckle on the inside when he did that while they worked together.

"See ya later Freddicini," she walked away without another word.

Freddie watched her vanish around the narrow hallway and sighed. He hated seeing her so down in the dumps and knowing that he couldn't fix it. She had come home after their last family dinner and told him about the visit Hammy's vet. Hammy was nearing the end of his life and that there was a large tumor growing on his brain. The poor dog was in so much pain that the vet suggested that they put him down. Sam of course didn't have the heart to just sentence her companion so the doctor gave her something to help him with the pain.

Freddie knew that eventually Sam would accept their Hammy's fate and go through with it despite how much it would hurt her. One thing that Freddie Benson was sure of; Sam Puckett loved her dog and would do anything to ease his pain.

"Benson?" someone called and he looked up.

Tiffany Locke, the lighting coordinator was standing before him.

"Oh hey Tiffany," he said blinking a few times.

"We've got the stage ready to go, the sound goons upstairs are taking a bit longer," she rolled her eyes.

"I'll have a word with Carl," he promised.

"Thanks," she grinned and wandered off.

Shaking his head he walked along the back of the stage and up a flight of stairs.

Sam threw a bunch of the clothing that the wardrobe team had put in her extensive closet for the show. She couldn't for the life of it all, understand the point of putting her in these outfits, as if she were still that teenage girl who dressed like a boy. Granted, she did dress comfortably in her womanly body, she also discovered ways to be comfortable and look like a stone cold fox, as she liked to think.

As much as she wished she could get out of working on the show, Sam couldn't do that to Carly, who had practically begged her to stay on after they had the second writer's strike two years previous. It required her to actually be apart of the writing process rather than having Carly meet with the other writer's on Sunday.

It wasn't as though she hated what they did or who she worked with, but doing it for most of their lives was dragging her down. She was tied to the show and couldn't make big plans to take a trip out of the country for months on end, if she wanted to. Carly had this hold on her, worst yet the woman knew it.

Tossing a few more shirts over her shoulder, Sam came upon something she hadn't seen in years buried in the back of the closet. It was far too small for her to fit in since she was no longer a fourteen year old girl, but it did bring a smile to her face.

Coffee Noodles.

She must have been sitting there for a while reminiscing over this lost shirt because Freddie's familiar knock brought her out of her haze.

"Sam? The show starts in ten minutes, you ready?" his voice called through the door.

For a moment she fell silent, eyes fixated on the yellow shirt in her hands.

"Uh…almost, I'll be there in a minute," she replied with a bit of hesitation laced into her words.

"…Alright," Freddie said slightly confused. He hadn't heard that tone in years, it worried him even more.

She heard his footsteps head off down the hall until they disappeared completely.

Monday had crept in without anyone realizing it and Sam found herself up before the sun for work. She couldn't wait until the wedding rush ended and she could go back to her normal hours. Being apart of the process of a wedding was killing her, she didn't need the reminder. With the way that Freddie had been acting lately she wondered how serious he had been about his proposal.

The bed beside her was empty and she frowned, much like she had over the past few mornings. Sam thought for sure that things were back to normal, that they were back to normal. But the cold sheets beside her spoke volumes. It was far too early for him to be off working and he never once mentioned it over their weekend together. She found that a smile started to appear as she thought about the other night with Freddie. The intense and passionate night that would be engraved in her mind for a while.

Shaking it off she got out of bed and wandered into the bathroom to start the day.

After a shower and a much needed Ham sandwich Sam took a tired Hammy over to the sitters across the hall. It was a nice thought to know that he had a little friend just like himself to be with while she and Freddie worked.

Pushing away what she'd learned recently she headed off to work, hoping that they didn't have any more disasters like the past week.

Panda Note: You finished! Well this was super short, by my standards anyways but I thought this would be a great place to stop and then pick up on a different part next chapter. I'm just putting this warning out there to you guys, things are gonna be getting all sorts of crazy soon. I thought this was gonna be a short story but I think that it'll be a lot longer, if I want all the stuff that I planned on. I'm really putting Sam through the ringer huh? This is just the beginning! Please leave me a review kind reader :D