Carly pulled herself up from the concrete and slowly turned away from the ornately carved doors that stood between her and happiness. She stumbled dejectedly down the steps and wandered away from the church, knowing she had blown her chance at getting Freddie back. She had been such a fool.

FLASHBACK

Carly paused mid-sentence as she and Sam turned to stare at Freddie standing in the doorway. He crossed to the beanbags where they sat, limping only slightly. Carly smiled broadly up at him, and he looked down at her with adoration on his face. "Hey," he said softly.

"Hey yourself," she said as she watched him take a seat on the hood of the car. "So…no more casts."

"Nope," he said, shaking his head and looking down at himself. He raised his eyes to hers, and she knew he was searching her face for a sign.

"So you're running at full nub capacity again, huh?" Sam said, smirking.

"Well," he shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest and turning to face Sam with one eyebrow cocked. "No one has asked to hear the story in weeks. The star quarterback gave me a wedgie yesterday, and you've resumed torturing me full-force. I guess that means everything is back to normal." He shot a meaningful glance at Carly with those last words. She felt a blush staining her cheeks.

"We knew you couldn't hold on to that newfound coolness for long," Sam quipped as she got to her feet and took a step toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Carly asked.

"Yeah," Freddie said. "We're supposed to work on the 'Javier the Singing Kumquat' bit, and you were supposed to bring the kumquat."

"Oh yeah," Sam said, digging a small orange fruit out of her pocket. "Here ya go." She whirled around and flung the kumquat at Freddie as hard as she could, hitting him right in the middle of his forehead. The force of the blow knocked him backward on the car's hood, and he slid to the floor in a daze.

"Freddie!" Carly shouted, jumping up and kneeling beside him.

"Mama's out." Sam said, striding toward the door.

"Wait, Sam!" Carly called. "What's up with you? What about rehearsal?"

"Sorry, Carls," Sam replied. "My mom had her butt liposuctioned today, and Melanie and I have to take care of her. So unless you two want to rub anti-inflammatory cream all over her…." Carly and Freddie both visibly cringed at the thought. "Well, then, I'll catch you later." With that, she was gone.

Carly helped Freddie to his feet. She could already see a knot rising on his forehead. "I can't believe she did that," she said reaching out to touch the darkening bruise, only to pull her hand back at the last second.

"Like I said," he replied with a wry grin, "back to normal."

She stood mute, just smiling and watching his eyes as he stepped closer to her. His eyes were full of questions as he reached up to stroke her cheek. His touch felt like a plea and a promise rolled into one. Her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned into his exquisite caress.

"Carly," he whispered hoarsely, "look at me." His warm breath danced across her lips. She opened her eyes. His face was a fraction of an inch from hers. His eyes were glassy and heavy-lidded. "Do you still want me?" he asked, and she heard hope mixing with fear in his voice.

She nodded slowly, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Yes," she whispered.

A smile spread across his face. "That's all I needed," he murmured just before his lips crashed into hers. He threaded his fingers through her hair, pulling her closer to him. He groaned as her hands freely roamed his chest and her tongue darted out to tease him. They kissed with mounting passion until he finally pulled away from her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Spencer…."

"Is in Vancouver," she cut him off, "for an art show."

"Oh," he panted, still holding her face close to his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back down to her, losing herself in the feel of him.

Several minutes later, they lay together on the floor of the studio, their clothing scattered around them. Carly stared at the ceiling, listening to Freddie's heavy breathing beside her. Her heart was pounding, but not from exertion. It was sheer panic. She hadn't planned to go that far, but she had been overwhelmed by passion.

Freddie propped himself up on his elbow and gazed down at her, smiling. "Freddie," she began weakly, "what we just did.…"

"Was amazing," he interrupted. "It changes everything. I love you, Carly. I'll love you forever."

Carly sat up, reaching for her dress to cover herself. She saw the bloodstain on the rug, and it amplified her fear. "We shouldn't have...," she began, struggling for words. "We're too young. I can't…. This was a mistake." Freddie's face fell. "I'm sorry," she said, pulling the dress over her head. "This can't happen again. We just need to forget this." She scrambled to her feet, tugging her skirt down. She glanced at Freddie and saw tears making their way down his cheeks. "You need to leave now," she whispered then raced out of the studio. She threw one last glance over her shoulder and saw him sitting with his face buried in his hands, his shoulders shaking violently with the force of his sobs.

END FLASHBACK

"Repeat after me," the preacher said. "I, Fredward, take you, Wendy."

"I, Fredward, take you, Carly." Freddie's eyes widened as he realized what he had said. A gasp rippled through the audience. Wendy's expression was one of shock, then anger. "W-Wendy," he stammered. "I, Fredward, take you, Wendy!"

"Too late," Wendy hissed as she turned and stormed down the aisle.

Freddie followed her, ignoring the murmuring crowd. He called out to her to wait, to come back. She ignored him, not pausing until she was outside the church. "Wendy!" Freddie shouted, grabbing her wrist and turning her to face him. "I'm sorry, honey! It was an accident. A slip of the tongue. That's all."

Wendy jerked her wrist free and turned her back on him. "Wrong, Freddie!" she shouted. "You still love her, or you wouldn't have said her name when you were supposed to be pledging your lifelong love to me!" She whirled on him and struck him with her bouquet, sending rose petals flying around them.

"I don't love her!" Freddie shouted back, shielding his face from her floral bludgeon. "I hate her! How could you think I'd still love her after everything she did to me?"

"I saw your face when you looked at her!"

"Then you saw how angry I was with her!"

"Exactly," Wendy said, her voice growing eerily calm.

"Huh?" Freddie blinked in confusion.

"You wouldn't have been so angry if you were really over her," Wendy sighed. "Emotions that intense can only be provoked by someone you really care about. If you were over her, she wouldn't be able to affect you like that. She wouldn't matter enough to have that kind of power over you."

"She affects me because of how much I hate her," Freddie persisted.

"No, you don't," Wendy said with a forced laugh. Tears shimmered in her eyes. "She hurt you badly. You're angry with her, and you're bitter, but you don't hate her." She turned away from him as her tears began to fall. "I can't marry you, Freddie. Not like this."

"Why not?" he demanded. "You love me."

"With all my heart," she whispered brokenly.

"I love you."

"I'm not so sure about that." She faced him then, and he looked bewildered. "Carly broke your heart all those years ago. She nearly destroyed you. You were drowning, and I pulled you out. You've been with me ever since," she placed a hand over his heart, "but you can't spend forever in a lifeboat. For all I know, if Sam had been the one to comfort you the way I did, you might have been standing up there with her today."

She pulled away from him and leaned against the wall, no longer caring about damaging her beautiful gown. "I need to let you go. I hope you'll come back to me someday, but I need to know that you're with me for the right reasons. You need to take some time. Do some soul-searching and figure out who you really want to be with. If it's me, I'll be waiting. If it's Carly…, I just want you to be happy."

"Wendy," Freddie said, taking her hand, "I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you."

"I know," she said, forcing a little smile. "Well, I guess I should get back in there. I have a wedding to call off."

"I'll do it," Freddie said. "You shouldn't have to face that crowd. Go home. I'll take care of things here."

"I'd appreciate that."

He walked her to the sleek black limousine waiting by the curb. Streamers and "Just Married" banners decorated the sides and back of the car. He opened the door for her and kissed her cheek. He helped her gather her skirt into the car and leaned down to say a few parting words to her. "Thank you," he said, looking directly into her eyes. "Thank you for everything you've done for me. For being such a great friend. For saving me from my own heartache. But most of all, thank you for loving me." She smiled and nodded, fresh tears wetting her cheeks.

As he watched the car pull away from the curb, tin cans rattling on the pavement, he thought about all the tears that had been shed in his presence that day—his ex-girlfriend's as she begged him not to get married, his would-be bride's as she called off their wedding. He found it odd that the only time he had felt like crying was when Spencer had dragged Carly out of the church and locked her outside.

Freddie took a deep breath, deciding that was a question to ponder later, as he turned back toward the church full of waiting guests.

AN: One more chapter to go…I hope you're enjoying this little tale. Reviews are much appreciated!