A/N: Hi all! Sorry this took so long. It was a bit difficult to write. On the upside, it's the longest chapter yet! Thank you guys for getting me over 100 reviews. I hope you enjoy this one and let me know what you think. :D
Chapter Eight
Freddie's palms were sweating. He didn't know why he was so nervous, he'd been working on this website for two weeks. It was great, possibly his best work yet, and that was saying something considering how pleased all of his clients have been with his work since he started his web design business a year ago.
But this wasn't for just another client, this was for Sam. He wanted to impress her, he wanted her to love this website, he wanted her to realize what she'd been missing by not having him design this website for her sooner, he wanted her to fall into his arms in awe of his web design skills. Okay, that last one was a long shot.
Freddie fell back onto Sam's desk chair and rubbed his eyes. He had set up the laptop and projector, fiddled with everything until it was perfect, now he was just waiting on Sam, Gibby, and Julie.
The door opened and Sam walked in, her hair up in a bun the way it always was when she worked in the kitchen, her face and neck a little red from the heat of the stove, no make-up whatsoever on her face. Freddie was struck, like he was a million times every day, by how gorgeous she was. You'd think he'd be used to it now that he lived with her, but she just took his breath away every moment of every day. When she's just waking up, when she's getting ready for bed, when she's shoveling food into her mouth, when she's just gotten out of the shower…And he needed to stop that line of thinking.
Sam looked behind her, out into the hallway, and Gibby appeared, Julie following closely behind him.
"Yo Freddie," he said.
"Hey, Gib," Freddie smiled.
"Get out of my chair, Fredbag," Sam said.
He stood up, smoothing down his tie and Sam outrightly laughed.
"What are you wearing?" She asked.
Freddie looked down at himself. He was wearing a nice pair of jeans, a dark blue button down shirt and a blue striped tie, topped with a black blazer. It was his usual attire for these types of meetings.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
"Other than you look like a nub?" Sam teased.
Freddie frowned.
"It's just a little formal," Gibby chimed in, smiling.
"This is how I dress for business meetings," he defended.
"Just…lose the tie," Sam said, walking over to him and pulling at the tie. He struggled against her and the knot at his throat tightened.
"Ow, Sam, you're choking me!" He tried to push her hands away but she just batted him away.
"Hold still then! Stop squirming."
She pulled harder and the knot loosened. Freddie breathed in relief and Sam was able to get it loose enough to pull the tie over his head.
"Wait, watch the hair!" He protested at the tie got stuck around his forehead.
"Don't worry, Fredward, I won't mess up your precious hair." Sam stood on her toes and tugged and finally the tie came free. Freddie put his hands up to his hair, trying to fix the damage done by Sam's hands.
"Okay, you're the one messing up your hair now," Sam said. She slapped his hands away and proceeded to fix his hair herself. Freddie was about to protest when his brain registered the feel of her small hands against his scalp and running through his hair. She was standing on her toes again to reach his head and standing so close to him that he could feel her warm breath on his brow and smell the strange mix of food, smoke, and perspiration on her skin. It was a surprisingly pleasant scent, though he suspected it was just because it was Sam.
"Um, guys?" Gibby said timidly.
"Guys!" He yelled when he got no response. Sam moved away, her hands dropping to her side.
"Are they always like this?" Julie asked him quietly, though not quietly enough.
"You have no idea," Gibby sighed. He turned back to them, "can we start the meeting now?"
"Just one more sec, Gib," Sam said and turning back to Freddie. "Charlie's okay?"
"Yeah, Carly's at the apartment now."
"You showed her how to heat the milk?"
"Yes."
"You told her that Charlie likes to have her bear beside her at all times?"
"Yes."
"You made sure she has your mom's and Dr. Evans' number?"
"Yes. The numbers are on the fridge. Sam, relax! It's Carly," he reassured her.
Sam let out a breath. "I know, I know…"
"The sooner we do this, the sooner Freddie can get back home to Charile," Gibby told them, starting to get impatient and Julie nudged him none too gently.
"Alright." Sam sat down in her chair. "Show us what you've got, Freddie."
Freddie moved over to his laptop, where he had set it up next to the projector, and everyone took their seats. Freddie turned off the lights and turned the projector on. He took a deep breath and proceeded to walk them through the website he had designed for Gibby's, page by page.
The further he got in the presentation, the more confidence he gained, he just pretended that he was speaking to regular clients instead of his closest friends. He also carefully avoided looking at Sam and her reactions, looking to Gibby and Julie instead when he needed to acknowledge his audience. He moved on from the website to the app that he had designed for Pearphones, which customers could use to make reservations and pick-up orders.
When he finished he turned the lights back on and finally found the courage to look at Sam. She was frowning and Freddie's heart sank, knowing that couldn't possibly be good.
"It's really great stuff," Sam said.
"The website looks amazing," Julie put in.
Freddie's full attention was on Sam though. "But…" He prompted her.
Sam exchanged a glance with Gibby. "But it all looks really expensive. Who's going to run the website and keep it updated? We'll need to buy computers and have people who can take the app orders…It's great, Freddie, it is. I like how the site kind of looks like our old iCarly site, but it looks more complicated than we can afford."
"It doesn't have to be expensive though. I can maintain the website for you, just like how I did with our iCarly site. You just need to buy one computer that all the app orders will be forwarded to and I can train some of your people on how to use it. You already have a couple people who are good with computers. Louis, one of your waiters, is a freshman at Seattle Tech."
"Isn't Sandra a Computer Science major?" Julie asked Sam.
"Yes! See? You just need to utilize resources that you already have," Freddie said eagerly.
"I like it,"Gibby proclaimed.
Sam rubbed her forehead. "Okay, I'll put it on the agenda for the next staff meeting. Gibby, Jules, can I speak to Freddie alone?"
"Sure, I'll just head back to the kitchen," Julie said, standing up. "Great job on the site," she told Freddie as she passed by him and he smiled gratefully at her.
Gibby looked between him and Sam. "I feel like a hot meat sandwich," he said. "Julie, wait up!" He rushed out the door, closing it behind him.
Freddie, feeling more nervous than ever, took Gibby's vacated seat across from Sam.
"You can tell me the truth, Sam. Just point out what you don't like and I'll try to fix it…"
"Shut up, Freddie," she interrupted.
He shut his mouth, feeling only a tiny bit offended.
"I wasn't lying when I said I liked it, all of it. We just need to discuss your payment."
"My payment?"
"I still need to talk about this with my investors and see if they'll approve the capital needed to do this. But considering that one-third of the vote is coming from your mother, I think you've got it in the bag. Next, I have to run it by my staff. I can give you a small advance for the work you've done so far and then you'll get full payment when the site and the app are both up and running."
"I don't need the advance," Freddie said.
Sam gave him an exasperated look. "Don't do this, Freddie. Don't do special favors for me just because you want to date me or whatever."
His jaw dropped. "That's not what I'm doing!"
She raised an eyebrow. "So this is how you treat all of your clients? It's a wonder you're making any money at all if your services are apparently free."
"I'm not doing favors for you because I want to date you. If I'm doing favors for you, it's because you're my best friend," he defended.
"Well, you can't do that either. You have a business, Freddie, and so do I. You have to treat me like any other client."
"Okay," Freddie agreed. "I'll take the advance then."
"And if you're going to be maintaining the website, I'll have to pay you for that too," Sam said.
"You can hire me as a contractor and pay me a contractor's fee. I can set up the website with advertisers, not too many!" He said quickly, when he saw Sam about to protest. "And only those relevant to the restaurant. Like, what if we put up a small sidebar advertisement for your school? If we do that, then revenue from the advertisements can pay my fee and generate income for the restaurant."
"So is this your job?" she asked. "You run all these websites for people?"
"Actually, no. I design the websites and sometimes apps for companies and small businesses then they hire someone to maintain it."
"Then why are you offering to do this for us? Isn't it just added work for you?"
"Yeah, but its work I care about. This restaurant is an amazing thing you've done, Sam, and I want to help get word of it out there. The whole world should know about Gibby's."
"And what about training people on taking the app orders?"
"I can do that, I can work with some of your employees in a full day or a couple of hours spread out over a few days, whatever works for you and them."
Sam thought it over, playing with a pen in her hand. "What about Charlie? Who's going to watch her while you're here?"
Freddie paused. He hadn't thought of that. "It's not like it will be a permanent thing, Sam. I'm sure we can get someone to watch Charlie for a few hours."
Sam continued playing with her pen, tapping it on the desk. Freddie knew that she was still thinking and kept silent.
"Okay," she finally said after a few minutes. "We'll do it."
He grinned. "You won't regret it, Sam. I swear."
"Yeah yeah. Just go home and rescue our baby. Carly probably has her in a puffy pink dress and a tiara by now."
Freddie couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he left the office, feeling like he was walking on air. And not because he had successfully closed a deal, he couldn't care less about that after hearing what Sam had just said. He wasn't sure if she caught it, and he certainly wasn't going to point it out to her, but Sam had referred to Charlie as 'our' baby. He resisted the urge to skip home, feeling like such a girl but far too happy to care.
Sam hadn't forgotten this time. In fact, she had been planning this for a week. It was Charlie's two month birthday and Sam felt at once ecstatic and nostalgic. The days were passing by so quickly. The party she had planned wasn't a big thing like what Freddie and Carly had done a month ago; it would just be their little group of five, plus Ian, Julie and Mrs. Benson. Sam had wavered on inviting Mrs. Benson but she was such a big help when they brought Charlie to the hospital and during the weeks of her colic that Sam felt she owed her.
Charlie's birthday happened to fall on a Saturday on this particular month and Sam was up at dawn and moving around the kitchen, prepping the food that she would cook for the party. Freddie walked in while she was wrapping hot dogs in bacon, yawning and stretching his arms out.
She looked up. "Sorry, did I wake you?"
"Yeah, kinda. Why are you cooking so early, Sam? The party isn't until three."
"I'm not cooking. I'm just prepping so that I can cook it all faster later on."
Freddie walked around the counter and was silent. Sam was focused on her task but she could see him standing there unmoving in her peripheral vision and could feel his eyes on her.
She looked over at him. "What?" She asked when she saw him staring at her slack jawed.
"Th-that's my shirt," he said. She looked down and blushed when his gaze roamed over her. She was wearing girl's boxer shorts but the shirt was long enough to cover it, giving the illusion that she was wearing nothing underneath.
"Why are you…when did you…" Freddie couldn't seem to form a complete sentence.
"I grabbed it when I did the laundry," she said, trying to sound casual, like it was no big thing. Like she didn't take comfort in having his blue plaid shirt wrapped around her in bed. "It's comfortable to sleep in."
Freddie still looked speechless, but he was saved from saying anything when Charlie's cry burst through the speaker of the hand held intercom Sam had sitting on the counter.
"I'll get her," he said, practically running from the room.
Sam left behind her pigs in a blanket and began preparing Charlie's bottle. The milk was warm and ready by the time Freddie came out with her. She took him from his arms.
"Hello," she said sweetly, kissing Charlie's cheek. "Look who's two months today. My precious baby's getting so big now. Aren't you…aren't you?"
Charlie raised a hand up, clutching some of Sam's hair that fell across her chest in her little fist. The baby was often fascinated by her hair, and in their playful moments Sam liked to swing it around in front of her and watch her eyes follow it back and forth, her hands coming up to try and grab it. Charlie's grip was getting stronger though and now Sam struggled to remove her hair from her fist. Her scalp had always been sensitive and she winced as even Charlie's little tugs sent tiny stabs of pain up to her head.
"Ow, baby, you have to let go…" She looked at Freddie, who was just standing looking slightly dazed. "A little help here, Fredward?"
He snapped back to attention and moved over to them. He tried to pry her hair out of Charlie's hand, yanking it harder as he did so.
"Hair, hair!" Sam moaned.
"Sorry! She has a really tight grip."
"She has the Puckett strength, alright. Just make her let go!"
Freddie moved back and decided to try a different tactic. He started tickling Charlie's tummy, making faces and baby sounds at her to try and distract her.
Charlie looked up at him, her eyes wide and her head following Freddie's movements. He took her hand and gently rubbed it and her palm opened up, freeing the strands of hair. Sam quickly swept her hair behind her shoulders and out of the baby's reach.
"Thanks," she said to Freddie, grabbing the bottle from the counter and putting it to Charlie's mouth.
Freddie stood there, watching Sam feed the baby and wearing his shirt. She was so beautiful it made his heart ache. It would be the perfect Saturday morning sight if only she were really his. What he wouldn't give to be able to wrap his arms around her, to kiss that spot on her neck that she liked, fully exposed now with her hair swept back. The urge to do so was so strong that it was physically painful.
He rubbed his hand over his face. "I'm going to take a shower," he said, not seeing how Sam's eyes followed him all the way down the hall.
Sam dressed Charlie in her brand new green dress and carefully brushed her hair, placing a barrette in it.
"Look at you," she said. "You're so pretty. My gorgeous little baby."
"Aren't you going to get dressed?" Freddie asked from the doorway. "They're going to be here any minute."
Sam looked down at herself, she was wearing an old t-shirt and jeans, which she had cooked in and was now slightly damp from bathing Charlie.
"Alright," she said, handing Freddie the baby.
The doorbell rang right on cue and Sam looked torn but Freddie simply shooed her towards her bedroom. "Get changed, go," he ordered.
Sam crossed the hall to her room and Freddie went to answer the door. He opened it to Julie, Spencer standing right behind her.
"Hey guys," he said. "Come on in."
"I have the cake," Julie held up her box proudly.
"I have a present!" Spencer said.
"You can put that on the table," Freddie told him.
"Where's Sam?" Julie asked.
"She's just getting dressed."
"Look at you little miss two months old," Spencer said to Charlie, taking her from Freddie and baby talking her.
Freddie couldn't help but notice the way that Julie watched Spencer with Charlie. He didn't think her face looked that different from his when he watched Sam.
"Hey, Julie," he said gently, breaking her out of her trance. "I can put that in the kitchen for you."
She handed over the box and he brought it to the kitchen. Sam came out just as he placed it on the counter.
"Oh, is that the cake? Let me see." She lifted up the cover.
It was a more simple cake than the last one, as Sam didn't want to trouble Julie too much. A round white cake with 'Happy 2 Months Charlie' written in the middle and little balloons and hearts decorating it. Even for a simple cake, it still looked beautiful and delicious.
"Julie, you're brilliant," Sam said, walking into the living room where Spencer and Julie were playing with Charlie on the couch. "Thank you."
"Oh please, thank you for letting me do it. You know how much I love making those things. Especially for someone as adorable as this little girl," she said, kissing Charlie's cheek.
"I got her a present!" Spencer said enthusiastically, gesturing to the large square present on the table.
Sam looked at it warily. "Spencer, I swear to God, if anything in there bursts into flames…"
"It won't! I bought it at the store and I didn't even open the box. And I had them gift wrap it."
Sam looked placated. "Well, we can't open it until everyone else gets here."
The doorbell rang and Sam elbowed Freddie. He obediently went to open the door. Carly and Ian stood there, holding a present each.
"Hey guys," he smiled.
"Spencer!" Carly said in shock as she spotted her brother. "You're actually early."
"Why is that surprising? I'm early to stuff," he said defensively.
Freddie was about to close the door when an all too familiar voice called out, "Wait! I'm here!"
He looked out into the hall and sure enough, it was his mom walking quickly towards him.
"Mom, what are you doing here?" He asked when she reached him.
"Samantha invited me, of course," she said.
"She…did?" He looked at Sam, talking to Carly, as his mom walked past him into the apartment. Sure enough, when Sam spotted his mom, she stood up and greeted her.
Freddie knew that his mom had monthly meetings with Sam about the restaurant, and his mom had been a huge help with Charlie's colic but since when had they become friends? It boggled his mind.
He looked around at his roomful of friends, only Gibby was missing now. And as if his thoughts had summoned him, a voice behind him said "Gibbeeh."
Freddie chuckled to himself and turned and greeted him.
"Freddie! Freddie! Come here!" Sam called frantically.
He turned around, feeling panicked, but Sam was smiling, her attention focused on Charlie who was in Carly's arms. Everyone was gathered around them. He made his way over, trying to see what had happened.
Sam grabbed his arm and pulled him next to her. "Look at her!"
He did. There was nothing unusual, as far as he could tell, about the baby.
And then Carly pushed her headband, which had a large black and white flower on top of it, down over her eyes and scrunched up her face. Charlie smiled. Not those little smiles that some websites told him might be gas, but a big full smile that stretched her cheeks. His heart skipped a beat, he didn't think he'd ever seen a sight more beautiful.
Sam squeezed his arm in excitement and he looked at her. The smile on her face rivaled that of Charlie's and he had to amend his earlier assessment. Those two smiles were equally beautiful. He wrapped an arm around her as she took the baby from Carly, kissing her adoringly all over her face, and leaned into Freddie's chest.
He could have kissed her right there and then, in their living room with all of their friends surrounding them. Freddie almost turned his brain off and threw all caution to the wind.
"Can we open presents now?" Spencer asked loudly, breaking the spell and making Freddie realize what he was about to do. He dropped his arm. Sam didn't seem to notice, she was so focused on Charlie. But when he looked up and met his mother's eyes, he knew that she had seen everything.
Sam had dealt with lawyers before. There were the DA's that took her cases whenever she got arrested and put into juvie when she was younger. And then there was Anita Williams, her lawyer for the restaurant that Principal Franklin had introduced her to. But sitting here in the office of Ian's father, it was the most nervous she had ever felt dealing with legal authority.
The secretary had shown her and Freddie into Attorney Robert McBride's office and they sat there waiting for him to finish a meeting. Freddie had Charlie in a carrier strapped across his chest and Sam moved her chair closer to them so that she could take Charlie's hand, bring her little fist up to her lips.
"It'll be okay, Sam," Freddie said.
"How can you know that?"
"Because there's no better guardian for Charlie than you."
The door opened behind them and Attorney McBride walked. Neither Sam nor Freddie had seen or met him before but Freddie felt that he would recognize him if he just saw him on the street. He looked like a slightly taller and older version of Ian, with thick dark brown hair that was turning gray at the edges. They both stood up to greet him.
"Sam, Freddie," he said, shaking each of their hands. "And this must be Charlie. My son has told me a lot about you."
"Thank you for seeing us," said Freddie, as they all took their seats.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. So let's get started, shall we?" He put on glasses and opened a folder. "Ian was a little unclear on what you wanted to do. Do you want guardianship of the baby or do you want to adopt her?"
"Do you think it would be possible to…adopt her?" Sam asked hesitantly.
"Can you explain the situation with your sister to me in your own words, starting from when she left Charlie in your care?"
Sam did so, recounting the night Melanie had appeared at her door in its entirety, and then her inability to contact her sister afterwards. Attorney McBride listened carefully and took notes.
"Well, Sam, we can petition the court for legal guardianship right now on the grounds of abandonment. But what will be brought into question is your mother. The court will want to know why you should be given custody of the baby over your mother when you're only nineteen."
"Because my mom's insane," Sam scoffed.
His brow furrowed. "Is that a serious assessment?"
"Pam Puckett would not be a fit guardian," said Freddie, stepping in. "She drinks…a lot and she has questionable taste in men."
"Is this true, Sam?" Attorney McBride asked.
"Yeah, not to mention that she doesn't always pay the bills, she doesn't shop for groceries, and she leaves the city, or the state, or hell, even the country, whenever she feels like it."
"And Sam gives her money now," Freddie added.
"You financially support your mother, Sam?"
"Yeah, pretty much. She owns the house because my J'Maw Maw made sure that the money in her will went to buying the house when she died. I give her money for food and bills, but knowing her she just spends it all on bikinis and tattoos."
"Then this case is in the bag," Attorney McBride said confidently. "You can get guardianship but adoption will be a lengthier process."
"We'll take guardianship for right now," Freddie said.
The attorney looked between the two of them. "Is it just Sam petitioning? Or will it be the two of you?"
Freddie looked at Sam and she looked back at him.
"Just me," Sam said quickly, trying to ignore the disappointment that flashed in Freddie's eyes.
"That's a wise decision for right now since Sam is the relative."
"But if I wanted to adopt Charlie?" Sam asked. "What would I have to do?"
"I suggest waiting on this. Guardianship will give you all of the legal rights, Sam. Even if your sister were to come back into the picture, she won't be able to take Charlie from you. She'll have to hire her own lawyer and go to battle with me," he smiled. "You can do a relative adoption, but understand that you're only nineteen and still in school. There will be people who will observe your home and work environment very closely, they'll look at the financial stability of your restaurant, and your past record."
"You mean my juvie record?"
Attorney McBride looked at her kindly. "Yes. They'll interview people, your parole officer, your DA's, your teachers…Your entire life will be overturned, Sam. I think the process will be smoother if you wait and have a few years of guardianship under your belt. The judge will be more likely to speed things up if the baby has already grown up with you."
He looked between the two of them and smiled. "And if this relationship has grown serious enough that you might want to marry, it'll be even better for the process."
"Wait…wha-no. We're not like that," Sam waved a hand between her and Freddie. "We're not together."
"Oh," said Attorney McBride in surprise. "I'm sorry, I just assumed…"
Charlie cried and Freddie stood up with her, taking her out of the carrier. "Uh, Sam, we have a diaper situation," he said, his nose crinkling up.
Sam looked at the attorney apologetically.
"It's alright," he smiled in understanding. "I have three kids. I remember the diaper days all too well."
She took the baby from Freddie. "Thank you for your time today," she said.
"Not a problem. I'll start the guardianship petition right away and contact you with more information."
"Thank you," Freddie said, shaking his hand.
They left the office, Charlie crying and squirming in Sam's arms. Freddie went to talk to the secretary and pay the fee while Sam searched for a restroom but she knew she didn't imagine the way that Freddie wouldn't meet her eye. She wondered at what he had expected from this meeting and just how far she had let him into Charlie's life.
"This website looks great to me," said Principal Franklin after Sam had presented it in her meeting with her investors.
"Freddie did a great job," Spencer said.
"Well, of course he did," said Marissa, tilting her chin up proudly. "He's making a career out of this, you know."
Sam leaned back against her desk, facing the three people who were financially responsible for the capital of her restaurant. Well, Spencer attended these meetings in Colonel Shay's place but he sort of counted.
"Freddie says the website will generate revenue through advertisements but until that money starts coming in, the cost of starting and maintaining it will be significant," Sam said.
Principal Franklin nodded. "It's good advertisement and publicity though, it'll bring in more customers."
"I say do it," Spencer grinned.
Marissa looked at him. "Do it?" She repeated incredulously. "Just like that? While I trust the brilliance of my son, there is a lot to think about here. The budget and the turnaround that we can expect for money to start coming in, for example. Will it cut into the profit of the restaurant?"
"I have it all computed and typed up here," Sam said, handing out three folders to them. "I also want to propose a slight menu change to cut down on costs and a redesign of the menu as well. But that's a topic for the next meeting. I want you all to read the specifics first."
Principal Franklin flipped through his folder and stood up. "Alright Sam, should we reconvene next week for a decision?"
"You know I don't like it when you use big words, Ted," she teased.
"And yet you seem to use them daily now," he smiled at her.
"Say hi to Emily for me."
"Why don't you say hi yourself when we have dinner here on Friday night?"
Sam shrugged and smiled up at him. "I could do that."
"I'm afraid I must get back to Ridgeway now. Marissa, Spencer," he nodded at them.
"Bye Principal Franklin," Spencer said and Marissa walked him to the door.
"So how's Charlie, Sam?" Spencer asked.
"She's great. She's smiling more than ever. Freddie and I have been performing some old iCarly sketches for her. She loves it," Sam grinned. "When she's old enough Freddie's going to show her the archive of videos."
"Hey, do you I think I could do my-?"
"No, Spencer," Sam interuppted.
"But if I-"
"No, Spencer," Sam said firmly.
"Why not?" He pouted.
"Because everything you do seems to involve unintentional pyrotechnics or combustion!"
"Wow, Principal Franklin is right. You do use big words now."
Sam stared him down. "What's the rule, Spencer?"
He bowed his head like a scolded child. "No toy or object that I have altered or touched outside of its container is allowed near the baby," he recited.
"Good," Sam said.
Marissa, who was standing beside the door, cleared her throat, capturing their attention.
"Spencer, could I speak to Sam alone?"
"Sure," he said, standing up. "I was actually going to uh, maybe visit the kitchen…"
Sam grinned slyly. "You mean visit Julie?"
Spencer actually blushed. "No, I just like to see kitchen things and if she happens to be there…"
"She's a chef. She's always in the kitchen," Sam retorted.
"Yeah, bye!" Spencer said quickly, all but running out the door.
"Goodness," Marissa said as the door slammed behind him.
"Come on, it's Spencer, aren't you used to him by now?"
"I suppose," she said, sitting down.
Sam chose to sit in Spencer's vacated seat across from Marissa instead of in her own chair, not wanting to put a desk between them. Sam's opinion of Marissa had increased exponentially since they started working together on the restaurant, and even more so since she had helped with Charlie's colic. Sam would never admit it out loud, but Marissa was one of the few responsible adults that she knew and she valued her opinion highly.
"So, what did you want to talk about, Mrs. Benson?" Sam asked.
"I understand that Freddie is living with you now," she said.
"He sleeps in the living room," Sam explained quickly. "And we're looking for a bigger place with three bedrooms."
"Sam, I like you…"
"I do," she said when Sam looked at her in disbelief. "But I just don't think you and Freddie have thought this arrangement all the way through."
Sam shrugged. "It works for us."
"Yes, for right now."
"What are you really trying to say, Mrs. B?" Sam asked, feeling her patience starting to run thin.
"I think Freddie is too young to be a father," Marissa said in a rush, the words almost stringing together.
"He's not Charlie's dad," said Sam, leaning back in her seat.
"He might as well be. He spends more time with her during the day than you do and now he's living with the two of you…"
"I didn't ask him to take care of Charlie."
Marissa seemed to decide on a different tactic. "I think it's an amazing thing that you're doing with Charlie, Sam. There aren't many young girls out there who would have the strength to raise a child at your age, let alone one that's not theirs. I just worry about Freddie and the future he might be giving up for you."
"I'm not asking him to give up anything. Look, Mrs. B…"
"You won't have to ask him," Marissa interrupted. "I know my son. I know how much he loves you. He'll give up the world for you, Sam. And while it's very noble of him, I'm afraid he's going to look back one day and regret the things he didn't do."
"You have the restaurant, Sam. You've built a career for yourself and you know what you want. But Freddie is still trying to figure things out. I'm just afraid that he's settling down too early."
Sam sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, standing up and pacing. None of what Marissa was saying was new to her. They were all thoughts that she'd been pushing to the back of her mind because her arrangement with Freddie was working so well. But she couldn't ignore them forever.
"Why are you telling me this and not Freddie?"
"Because Freddie is stubborn and you know just as well as I do that he's not going to listen to me on something like this. Sam, I love my son more than anything and I have to admit that I haven't done my best job as a mother in the past year. I've been selfish and too afraid to let him go. I should have insisted that he go to MIT when he was accepted."
"Why didn't he go anyway? He's never wanted to talk about it and I thought it might have been a money thing…"
Marissa shook her head. "No, we could have afforded it. Freddie's father and I set up a college fund for him after he was born and I haven't touched it. I just…Oh isn't it obvious, Sam?" Marissa looked at her in a hopeless sort of way. "He stayed because of you."
"Me? Why would he have stayed because of me? We weren't even together!"
"But he's in love with you."
Sam closed her eyes and sat back down. It wasn't like she could contradict Marissa's claim. Wasn't he the one who was pressing her for a relationship now? His devotion to her and Charlie was something she cherished and was too afraid to lose, that she wouldn't even let herself think about where it was coming from or what motivations Freddie might have.
"And I took advantage of that," Marissa admitted. "I used you and your restaurant to bribe him."
"Wait, what?" Sam looked at her, feeling massively confused.
"When he decided to go to Seattle Tech, I became…irrationally…afraid of dorm life so told him that I would invest money in your restaurant if he agreed to live at home."
"Bu-but…why…" Sam sputtered, not being able to process this.
"You see, Sam. There's nothing that Freddie won't do for you and that scares me. There's going to come a time when he's going to have to put himself first. And that will never happen if he has a family before he graduates college."
"Well, what do want me to do?" Sam asked, feeling overwhelmed by everything Marissa had told her.
"I don't know. Just…Please think carefully before you two take things any further."
Marissa patted Sam's hand gently, but she barely felt it as her head was still spinning, and stood up and left. Sam sat there, feeling more confused than she had ever felt in her life. She didn't think things could get any more complicated than the night her sister had left her with a baby. Apparently she was wrong.
Freddie had been feeling a little restless. He loved Charlie with all his heart and he loved spending time with her, but spending day after day after day in a small apartment with a baby could get wearing on anyone. He just needed a bit of fresh air. So he bundled up Charlie in her jacket and hat and took her out to the park.
It was afternoon so the park was filled with young kids having play time after school, accompanied by mothers or older siblings who strolled around or sat on benches chatting with each other. Charlie was still too small to be on the playground, even those baby swings, so Freddie decided to just push her stroller around the cemented jogging trail.
He hadn't been to this park in such a long time, not since high school, but as he walked underneath the still familiar trees, the wind blowing in his face, the sounds of laughter and screaming getting further and further away, Freddie finally felt some of the restlessness that he was feeling melt away.
He breathed in and out, taking note of each inhale and exhale. He tried to figure out what his problem was. He was happy where he was and he wouldn't change a thing. But maybe it was all just becoming a little too routine? It felt like he didn't do anything anymore except go to school, work, and look after Charlie. He can't remember the last time he had hung out with his friends, or just gone to a movie. As much as he loved Sam and Charlie, a guy needed some time to himself every once in awhile, right?
He knew that he couldn't tell Sam any of this. She would take it the wrong way and think that he was wanting out of their arrangement. Freddie sighed and picked up Charlie, bouncing her up and down in the way she liked before just holding her to his shoulder.
"Oh, that's such an adorable baby!" Someone said. Freddie looked over to see a girl in a jogging outfit making her way towards him. When she reached his side, she pulled her earphones out of her ear and looked at Charlie.
"What's her name?"
"Uh, Charlotte but we call her Charlie," Freddie said.
The girl had long dark hair, olive skin tone, and a nice smile. Freddie wasn't interested but he would have to be blind to not notice that she was attractive.
"Hi Charlie," she said, cooing in a baby voice. "Is she yours?" She asked.
Yes! Freddie's mind screamed but he thought about the meeting with Ian's dad the other day, how Sam hadn't even seemed to consider him and his role in Charlie's life. It's not like he expected co-guardianship or anything, but would it hurt to just consider it?
"No," he said. "I'm kind of…baby-sitting."
The girl smiled up at him. "Isn't that sweet? I'm Janine by the way."
She held her hand out for him to shake and he hesitantly did so, Charlie still balanced in one arm.
"I'm Freddie," he said.
"No, wait…You're not Freddie Benson, are you?"
"Uh, yeah, that's me."
"No way!" Janine bounced enthusiastically. "I think you know my brother Matt Bloomington. He works for the company Envision. You redesigned their website, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I did," said Freddie, all of it clicking in his head. It was a project he had done months ago and Matt Bloomington was his main contact person at the company.
"You did a great job, the site looks fantastic."
"Thanks," he smiled politely, beginning to feel uncomfortable with the way she was stroking his arm. He laid Charlie down in her stroller just to have an excuse to move away from her.
"You know, my brother showed me some clips of that web show you used to do. iCarly, right?"
"Yeah," Freddie said. "Hey, um, the wind is starting to pick up. I should get Charlie home. It was nice meeting you though."
Janine's smile fell a little but she recovered quickly. "Oh hey, did you know that my brother's cell phone number changed recently?"
"We don't really keep in touch anymore…"
"But he keeps telling me that he means to call you again, it's something to do with the website."
"Well, my number hasn't changed."
"But my brother is so forgetful, maybe you should call him. I'll give you his number!" She dug around in her jacket pocket and held up a piece of paper triumphantly. "Do you have a pen?"
Freddie was going to say no but her eyes landed on the pen sticking out of the pocket of Charlie's baby bag. "Oh, there's one!"
She grabbed it and began writing on the paper. Before Freddie could even blink she was folding it up and putting it in his jacket pocket, getting closer to his personal space than he was comfortable with.
"There you go," Janine smiled brightly. "I hope I see around, Freddie."
She plugged her earphones back in and took off running.
Freddie looked down at Charlie. "That was weird, wasn't it?" he said, leaning down over her. "Hey, you want to visit mama?"
Charlie smiled at him, that little smile he couldn't get enough of, and he took it as a yes.
Garrett Anderson had walked in like he owned the place, all smiles and smooth confidence. It grated on Sam's nerves but she forced herself to smile back and showed him to the back corner booth. The same booth that her friends sat in and the same booth where they held their meeting last week.
"Are we going to order?" Garrett asked.
"You can order. I'm not hungry."
"Is it on the house?"
Sam sighed. "Can we just get this over with?"
He laughed. "Girls don't usually say that to me."
She glared at him.
Garrett held his hands up. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I'll behave. But you have to admit you walked into that one."
"Yeah, whatever," said Sam, rolling her eyes.
"Okay, so let's get to business…"
They spent the next hour talking about franchising, Garrett walking Sam through all of the particulars. She hated to admit it but he was smart and he really knew what he was talking about. He made it sound like Sam's life could be glamorous, like all of her problems would be taken care of and the money would be rolling in. And maybe that wasn't the reality. Maybe it wasn't going to be as easy as he made it sound but just for a little while Sam wanted to pretend that it would be. Nothing in her life ever came easy and she just wanted to live in the fantasy for a little bit. Was that such a crime?
They did end up ordering food, some fries and nachos. Garrett had ordered two of each, ensuring that Sam had her own.
"I'm thinking of changing the menu," Sam told him.
"Really? I like your oddball menu," said Garrett while he munched on a fry. "It has character."
"I just want to get rid of some stuff that don't sell as well as the others and maybe add a few new things. And since we're getting a website, it seems like a perfect time to redesign the look of the menus and add the site address to it."
"You're getting a website?"
"Yeah, my friend Freddie is a bit of a tech genius and he's designing it."
"Freddie Benson from iCarly?"
"The one and the same."
"You guys are still friends then?"
Sam scoffed. "Why wouldn't we be?"
"I don't know, you guys seemed to have a volatile relationship on the show. Hey, didn't you date?"
"It creeps me out how much you know about me," she said.
"I do my research," he smiled. "And anyone that watched the show knew about the two of you."
"That was a long time ago," Sam said, picking at the cheese that stuck to the paper on her nacho basket.
"So you're not together anymore?"
"That's none of your business."
"Maybe not. But uh…" Garrett looked at her shyly, pushing his own empty nacho basket around. "I've been having fun talking to you, Sam," he confessed. "I know we've only met up a couple of times but you're funny, smart, and cool. I was wondering if maybe you'd want to do this again – with me – but with no business talk."
"Like a date?" Sam asked incredulously.
"Yeah," he smiled at her and she was struck by how cute he really was, but she hadn't ever considered going out with him. She barely even liked him as a person, although she was starting to realize that maybe there was something he hid underneath his cocky exterior.
"What, is this some new strategy to get me to agree to franchise?"
Garrett looked disappointed, maybe even a little hurt if Sam read him right, but he recovered quickly, his confident and smooth smile back in place within seconds. "You know what? I'm talking crazy. Mixing business and pleasure isn't a good idea."
He stood up. "Same time, same place next week?"
Sam still felt bewildered, not able to keep up with his rapid pace. "Yeah," she agreed, if only for the reason that she felt there was nothing else she could do at the moment.
"See you, Sam," he said, tipping his head at her, almost bowing.
He walked away and only when Sam stood up did she see Freddie pushing Charlie's stroller through the middle of the restaurant. Garrett crossed his path and Sam's heart stopped, so sure that he was going to say something to Freddie.
But he only smiled and said "excuse me," walking around the stroller and straight to the door. Sam walked over to Freddie.
"Hey," he said.
"What are you doing here? Is something wrong?" She bent over Charlie, who smiled when she saw her.
"No, nothing's wrong. I just took Charlie for a walk in the park and we thought we'd stop by."
Sam lifted Charlie and soon as she did, she was swarmed by her co-workers, all wanting to say hello to Charlie and to take turns carrying her. Sam noticed that they were attracting the attention of the customers and ushered everyone to a corner of the restaurant, near the back hallway.
Charlie seemed to take delight in being the center of attention, smiling and gurgling, and waving her little arms as she was passed around.
"Okay, I didn't expect that," Freddie said to Sam.
"I'll take this into the office," she said, commandeering the stroller. "Want to just eat dinner here?"
"Sure," Freddie took off his jacket and draped it over the stroller handle. "The booth?"
"Um, yeah," Sam said, feeling inexplicably guilty that she was sitting in that booth with Garrett just a few minutes ago. It's not like she was doing anything wrong.
She pushed the stroller into her office and was just heading back out when she heard Charlie crying, apparently already tired of the attention.
"Sam," Freddie called out from the hallway. "Can you get Charlie's pacifier? It's in my jacket pocket."
She picked up his jacket and dug through the pocket, pulling out the pacifier and a piece of paper fell out. Sam picked it up and unfolded it.
Janine Bloomington (206) 269-8744 Call me :)
Sam clutched her stomach, feeling sick. A walk in the park? It seemed that Freddie did a little more than that today.
In a red haze, she walked to her desk and violently pulled open her drawer, fumbling around until she found what she was looking for buried underneath papers. She pulled out Garrett's calling card and dialed the number.
He answered on the first ring.
"Hi, Garrett? It's Sam. About that date…I think we should do it."
A/N 2: For all of you Spanish speakers out there, this story is currently being translated into Spanish by JanetStroke16. I can't link it here but you can find the story under my favorites. Leave some love there for both me and JanetStroke16 if you read it. :) And don't forget that you can find me on Twitter at heartlines12.
Read
~The CABAL~
annierocket aussiemma axel100 BaalRulesbeforeskylines BoxOfTrinkets Braxenimos Coyote Laughs DeviocityDwyn Arthur FMellark heartlines iCarlyAngst JamesTheGreater KeyLimePie14 KingxLeon21 Lackadaisical Pajamas Moviepal Myjumpingsocks ober22 Pieequals36 Pigwiz pearlbutton328 PsychoticAppleSauce rebeccaofsbfarm Rhiabrey Skye seddiefan2009 sidouxamer Spinlight Tech-Man ThatSamGirl TheWrtrInMe Twowritehands User1-FlynnK Virgoleo23 Waffels Of Doom WhiteKnightro WildPomegranate xXACCEBXx
From fluff, to face melting angst.
The Cabal authors produce the best.
Follow us on Twitter: iCabalOfficial
Find us on tumblr: iCabal-official
Find us on fanfiction net: iCabal