We have reached the end, my fanfiction friends. This story has been a little different for me to write, but I felt that it was important to deal with where Sam went before continuing with some of my Victorious plots.

I haven't been doing this for every chapter, but I did want to take the time to thank the reviewers. Thanks to Boris Yeltsin for the most reviews (every chapter!), and to the Guest, Zeynep, and Luis (Z. and L., there will be more stories with Cat in them soon!).

Now, enjoy! I've been eager to post this. :)

...

"I'll just sleep on the couch," Sam said from her seat on said couch, surrounded by so many wrappers and greasy paper bags that it looked like she was presiding in a graveyard of fast food. Spencer had stopped to pick up all her favourites at three different spots, and they had feasted on the unhealthy fare for what seemed to Sam to have been the best meal in her life. If burgers, fries, soda, and chicken wings tasted that good, she could only imagine how good Spencer's homemade ribs would taste tomorrow, as he had promised to cook ribs and rice for supper (much to her delight).

Spencer shook his head as he began to gather the garbage into a trash bag. "Don't be crazy. You can sleep in Carly's room. She won't mind."

Sam wriggled into the couch. "But this is so comfortable! And then I won't have to move!"

Spencer laughed. "You have to move anyway - I think you're sitting on some napkins and paper plates."

Sam shifted. "I guess I am." She stood up and began helping Spencer clean.

"Well, that's a new look on you," Spencer commented in amusement.

"What?" she asked, looking up from putting empty chicken bones into the trash bag.

"You - cleaning! Never did I ever think I would see that!" Spencer teased.

Sam rolled her eyes. "I didn't have a ton of space in my cell, so I had to keep it clean." She stopped short. She had not meant to say that. She did not want a bigger deal made out of it than necessary.

"Makes sense," was all Spencer commented. She was grateful that he kept moving on.

"You know where the towels and wash cloths are, right?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Help yourself to anything you need. Tomorrow we can go get whatever you need - soap, shampoo, et cetera. I know Carly didn't like Old Spice, so I doubt you would want to share either."

Sam laughed. "I grew up using whatever was around, so I don't care. Still, I think Carly would say I should at least try smelling like a girl."

Spencer smiled. "I bet. Anyway, we can head out in the morning. I'm bushed, so I'm headed to bed." He shook his head as she went to sit back down on the sofa with a blanket she swiped from the back of a chair. "No, Sam. I meant it - go sleep in Carly's room."

"Okay," she said hesitantly. He watched her as she headed up the stairs.

"Good night, Sam," he told her as she got to the top.

"Good night, Spencer. Thanks for ... thanks."

"You're welcome. Now go sleep!"

She didn't want to though. She went to her best friend's bedroom and closed the door behind her loudly enough that Spencer would hear, but as soon as she heard him go into his own room, she sneaked out and back down the stairs to curl up on the couch. She felt that she not deserve much, and it would feel entitled and weird to be in her friend's room without her permission. She slept there all the time when Carly was here, but this felt like she was going behind her back, stealing her room, stealing her brother, stealing her life.

Instead, Sam laid on the sofa, scrolling through the phone that Spencer had so graciously activated for her again. There were thousands of notifications. The thought of checking through messages from friends and the few family members who had wondered what happened to her was overwhelming, but the idea of sleeping in a quiet place was almost more so. She flipped on a lamp and turned on a video on the phone, something noisy and busy to keep herself distracted. She was used to hearing noise and having bright lights around her at night at juvie, and although she had not liked those things there, it was too hard to relax without them. Somehow, they had become normal, and now they were comforting.

She was startled when the phone started buzzing. A smile crept to her lips when she recognized Carly's call icon. Without stopping to overthink her situation, she answered.

"Hey, Carls!"

"SAM!" Carly gasped in joy. "It's you! Finally!"

"Yeah," Sam chuckled a little, shrugging awkwardly.

"Spencer found you!"

"He did."

"I'm so, so glad! I was worried, Sam! Why didn't you let us know where you were? I know he would have gone to find you a lot earlier if he had known."

"Well ... you know..."

Carly frowned a bit. "No, I don't."

"It's ... embarrassing."

Carly rolled her eyes at that. "You thought now was when I'd decide that I didn't care?!"

"You're away in Italy, making other friends. Good friends. And ..."

"Shut up, Sam Puckett! You are a good friend! And nothing you can do will make me change my mind about that!" Carly said intensely.

"But..."

"There is nothing! Hear me? Nothing!"

Sam felt tears in her eyes, a lump in her throat, swelling in her heart, and a grateful smile on her lips. She could not answer, but Carly seemed to be able to tell that she had touched the chord that needed to be touched.

"Where are you?" Carly asked curiously. "It looks like you're on the couch."

"I am," Sam said hoarsely, still unable to tamper down all the emotions.

"Saaaam! Why are you there? Go sleep in my bed!"

"But that's ... yours. I don't want to take up space or ..."

"Just go."

"Car..."

"Go, Sam!" she said with a laugh. "You've got to be able to get some rest if you want to be able to keep up with Spencer tomorrow."

Tomorrow. Her first full day out of juvie in quite a bit.

Tomorrow. A day full of reconnecting with people (she assumed Freddie would be around, and Mrs. Benson with all her anxieties and judgments).

Tomorrow. A day of trying to accept help from Spencer and from others who actually cared. A day of trying to start new habits and blaze new trails away from the worst parts of her past. A day of trying to pick up the thread of good that she used to follow. A day of being a good person.

Today she had been removed from the past. Tomorrow would be about restarting her future.

Tomorrow already sounded exhausting.

"I guess I could try. I'm not sleeping too well out here," she admitted. She squinted at Carly as she headed up the stairs. "What's the time change like from here to there? Is this inconvenient to you?"

Carly waved off her concerns. "I've been missing you for forever, Sam! Nothing is inconvenient. Let's just talk for a bit."

Sam smiled as she opened the door to Carly's bedroom and flopped onto the bed. Sleep did feel more possible in these surroundings.

"That sounds good," she told Carly with a yawn.

So she and her best friend talked their way into tomorrow, and Sam gathered enough hope to sustain herself through the day that was ahead.

Restarting wasn't going to be so scary after all.

...

I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! :)

Until next time, keep turning pages!