Hello, my fellow iCarly fans! We're finally at the end of this story, has it really gone so quickly? iOMG in 24 hours - anyone out there stoked for this episode? Thank you so much for everyone who reviewed last week's chapter and may have expressed disappointment at not seeing a Creddie kiss. If anyone's upset about the 'massage tease' last week, then check out this link (.net/s/5986982/6/iFind_And_Keep_You ), where a massage leads to other things ;) Here's the epilogue for your viewing pleasure, enjoy :D
Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly or the concept for this story. Never have on both accounts.
It was close to 5pm when Freddie finally arrived back in Kennedy Square and trudged into Bushwell Plaza, completely worn out from the day he'd had. Naturally, he ran right into Lewbert in the lobby, brandishing a filthy mop in his hand.
"NYAAANGTH! What are you doing walking all over my clean floor? You just made it dirty – now I've gotta start all over again!" Lewbert complained in his usual drawl.
"You mind if I give you some advice, Lewbert? If you want a clean floor, maybe you should start with a clean mop in the first place. That mop hasn't been brand new since Sir Mix-A-Lot last made a record." Freddie pointed out, gesturing to the cleaning utensil in Lewbert's hand.
He smirked as soon as Lewbert began yelling out profanities and a host of other unintelligible things at him as he walked steadily towards the elevators. As tiring as his day had been, Freddie found it childishly easy not to lose his temper with Lewbert. Maybe spending all his time around Carly lately, who hardly seemed phased by anything beyond school and the web-show, was just what he had needed all along to keep his powers in check.
That didn't mean that he hadn't done all the research he could get his hands on and experimented with his powers in the meanwhile. And Carly had been only too eager to experiment right along with him. Freddie couldn't believe that it was close to two months ago when he and Carly had first discovered that they shared a 'bond'. Their guardian, Michael, had been instrumental in guiding them every step of the way, popping up sporadically on little visits with bouts of useful information and sarcastic retorts. Even though Freddie would never openly admit it to Carly, he had a soft spot for the man he considered to be part demon, part angel.
To his lack of surprise, Freddie ran into Sam exiting the Shay's apartment just as he walked towards to his apartment. He shook his head at the smirk on Sam's face while he began unlocking the front door.
"Well, well. Look who finally showed up from being at school all day long." Sam declared in a knowing tone.
"Go ahead. Make jokes," Freddie implored dryly as the key turned in the door.
"Don't mind if I do. I just think it's pretty hilarious that you're the one who's been in detention for weeks now while I've been on the straight and narrow." Sam remarked teasingly with a big grin on her face.
"I wouldn't go that far. The only reason you weren't in detention today was because Carly stopped you from spray-painting 'I Eat Pants' on Mr. Howard's car. Besides, it's not so bad going to detention for defending someone else." Freddie remarked in a pensive tone.
After spending that night at the Shay's apartment asleep in Carly's arms two months ago, Freddie had gotten up early the next day and gone straight to school to see Principal Franklin. To his surprise, Principal Franklin was already waiting for him in his office; word had spread quickly about Freddie's involvement in Rory Blake's accident. To Freddie's amazement, his mother had come storming in mid-way through his speech about accepting responsibility for his actions and demanded that Principal Franklin show leniency to Freddie, explaining that he had done what he did to Rory to protect Carly.
Another meeting took place later that day with Mrs. Benson still present, along with an irate Mr. and Mrs. Blake, who were demanding that Freddie be suspended from school for injuring their son. To Principal Franklin's credit, he managed to calm everyone down while Freddie sat quietly in his chair and suggested a compromise: Freddie wouldn't be suspended, nor would there be a permanent record in his school transcripts, since there were mitigating circumstances. But he would have to attend detention every day for the next 8 weeks. Freddie had served out his time without any further complaint and Carly had spent many a day outside the classroom where he sat doing homework during detention, waiting patiently for him.
"You just can't get enough of the limelight, can ya, Fredward? First, the taco truck; now Rory Blake's spectacular face-plant into a pile of lockers. It's not like Carly can love you any more than she already does." Sam complained with just a hint of revulsion at the idea.
She managed to grin though when Freddie began blushing at what she'd said.
"So instead of vandalising other people's property, what did you end up doing today after school?" Freddie asked curiously, changing the subject.
"Carly and I rehearsed through our latest 'Idiot Farm Girl' sketch for iCarly tomorrow night." Sam responded nonchalantly.
"Carly never misses a beat."
"It was my idea, nub."
Freddie gaped in amazement at Sam, who stared defiantly back at him.
"Wait…you actually…willingly…organised an iCarly rehearsal?" he questioned in disbelief.
"Don't look so surprised, Freduardo. I'm capable of doing things that matter to other people, especially Carly." Sam retorted defensively with one hand on her hip.
"Evidently. Did Carly make you rehearse through everything on laminated cue cards?" Freddie asked teasingly.
He began laughing boisterously when Sam groaned loudly and clasped her face in exasperation with one hand.
"Urgh, yes! I love that girl to bits and pieces, but she never stops with those chizz cue cards." Sam responded in a whiny voice.
"Yeah, Carly can be pretty kooky when it comes to being super organised. But she's still our girl." Freddie remarked with a small smile on his face.
"Yeah, she is." Sam agreed, matching his tone.
An awkward silence ensued between the two of them while they pointedly avoided looking at each other for a few seconds.
"Well, I should probably get inside…." Freddie announced swiftly, jerking his thumb behind him.
"Oh, right. You've gotta get ready for your 'date' tonight with Carly." Sam stated with air-quotes in a seedy tone.
"It's not a date."
"Sure it is. You asked Carly to come over to your apartment in an hour while your Mom does her shift at the hospital and you're providing the snacks and beverages. It's a date."
"It's not like that with me and Carly, Sam." Freddie replied seriously.
In truth, the only couple-related thing that Freddie and Carly had done in two months was hold hands at school. But that had been it. Freddie didn't want to pressure Carly into anything; he knew that she needed time to adjust to their 'bond' and everything it encompassed. Both of them had tried to keep things as normal as possible between them while learning to control their powers and learning more about their 'bond'. Now that he had officially served his last day of detention, Freddie wanted to celebrate and just spend some alone-time with Carly that evening, with a compromise of buying Sam breakfast in the morning at Gallini's, the iCarly trio's favourite pie-shop.
"I know it isn't, but it should be, according to that whole 'bond' thing you guys have got going on." Sam answered with air-quotes yet again, looking slightly uncomfortable while she spoke.
"We're taking it slow." Freddie stated in a small voice.
"Fine by me." Sam quipped sardonically, causing Freddie to shake his head and grin in spite of himself.
"Well, I'll leave you to gargle your mouth 20 times and prepare fat and fun-free snacks for yours and Carly's 'non-date'." Sam remarked before shoving her hands deep into her pockets.
"You got any plans tonight?" Freddie asked curiously of Sam.
"I got a little bid-nez to take care of with Wendy. See you bright and early tomorrow at Gallini's. And remember, you're paying." Sam reminded before walking off down the hallway.
"Like I could forget. Have fun tee-peeing Ms. Briggs' backyard with Wendy," Freddie greeted slyly with a wave of his hand, chuckling as he let himself into his apartment.
"Mom, I'm home!" Freddie called out while putting his book bag down on the kitchen table.
Freddie could hear his mother bustling about in her bedroom before heading out for her night shift at the hospital.
"Hi, honey! I'm just getting ready for my shift at the hospital! There's some meatloaf and cucumber cups in the microwave if you're hungry!" Marissa yelled back from her bedroom.
"Thanks, Mom!"
Freddie decided to start preparing the food before taking a shower. He needed everything to be ready and perfect before Carly arrived in an hour.
He had a good feeling about tonight.
"Spencer, I'm leaving now!" Carly called out while descending the stairs.
After taking a shower, changing her clothes at least three times and doing her hair, Carly was finally ready for her night with Freddie. She couldn't understand why she was so nervous; she and Freddie had spent many a time alone together without either Spencer or Sam (or Gibby) around. But somehow, Carly could sense that this time was different from the rest. And the thought was making the pulse points on her neck and wrists race quicker as the seconds ticked away.
"Hang on, Carls! I wanna talk to you for a second!" Spencer shouted back from the kitchen, oven gloves on his hands while he took a sizzling home-made pepperoni pizza out of the oven.
Carly rolled her eyes and came skipping towards the kitchen counter.
"What's up, Spencer?" she asked with one hand on her hip.
"About you and Freddie hanging out tonight-"
Spencer stopped talking and stared in awe at Carly's outfit. She was dressed simply enough: light blue skinny jeans that hugged her hips and legs in all the right places; a lacy white top with frills at the edges and straps that went down to her arms, leaving the tops of her shoulder blades exposed and ankle-high light brown leather boots on her feet. She had curled her hair into wavy ringlets that cascaded down her back for the occasion and applied the smallest amount of make-up on her face: beige blush on her cheeks and her favourite cherry-flavoured pale pink lip gloss on her mouth.
"Wow. You look really pretty." Spencer concluded in somewhat of a hoarse tone.
"Uh, thanks, Spencer. So…about me and Freddie hanging out tonight?" Carly probed lightly while biting her bottom lip.
Spencer shook his head experimentally while placing the pizza on top of the kitchen counter.
"Right! You and Freddie…I guess I just wanted to know – is this a date?" he asked in a careful voice.
"Spencer, Freddie and I are just hanging out tonight. It's not like that between us." Carly explained patiently.
But even while Carly said the words, she innately knew they weren't true. Yes, she and Freddie weren't dating. Besides holding hands occasionally in the school hallway, they hadn't kissed since that night outside her bedroom two months ago. She understood that Freddie didn't want to pressurise her into anything just yet because of the bond, but Carly was beginning to get frustrated. It reminded her all too well of her feelings after Freddie's taco truck accident a year ago and how she'd been glad to spend all day every day kissing him. The thought sent goosebumps down her arms while she clutched them tightly across her chest, trying hard to concentrate on what Spencer was saying to her.
"I know, it's just that…the two of you have been spending a lot of time together lately. Even if you're not dating now, that's likely to change since the two of you, you know…bonded and stuff." Spencer answered awkwardly.
Carly tried to suppress a grin at the uncomfortable look on Spencer's face. A few days after Freddie served out his first detention two months ago, Carly finally plucked up enough courage to sit Spencer down and explain everything that had happened between her and Freddie concerning the 'bond'. To say Spencer was shocked was an understatement. After Carly had convinced him to put on the spoon hat, Spencer proceeded to run around the apartment with his hands covering his ears, not wanting to hear another word, especially when Carly mentioned weird occurrences such as pushing Sam into his sculpture and Freddie pushing Rory into a pile of lockers.
But after getting Spencer to sit back down on the sofa, Carly explained to him about Michael (whom Spencer was none too pleased about) and the fact that she and Freddie now had special abilities, Spencer started getting really excited, especially when Carly told him about what really happened with the light bulbs exploding in the apartment. Being able to destroy things with your mind was the epitome of the coolest thing that Spencer had ever heard. After that, Carly could barely get a moment to herself because Spencer kept plying her with question after question about hers and Freddie's 'bond'. Like Carly, he managed to put two and two together about their parents and began excitedly doing research of his own about 'bonding' in general.
Like she had told Freddie, Carly finally struck up the nerve to send her father an email, asking him point-blank about whether he and her mother had 'bonded'. To her disappointment, Steven hadn't given her any answer to her question. But he had promised that he would tell her everything she wanted to know in person when he came to visit a month from now. The thought both terrified and comforted Carly as she thought about her parents and the love they'd shared a lifetime ago.
Both Spencer and Sam were alarmed when Freddie and Carly had explained to them about the negative consequences of the bond. But both had been extremely supportive and reassuring and Freddie and Carly had done their parts by being extremely careful when experimenting discreetly with their powers. So far, nothing had gone wrong and everyone had begun to breathe easy about the entire affair. But that didn't mean that they weren't still on their guard in some small way. Neither Sam nor Spencer had laid eyes on Michael yet, but Sam was especially looking forward to that eventual meeting. After Carly's description of him, she knew that Sam wanted to see just how good-looking he really was. As for Spencer, Carly had a feeling he wanted to postpone meeting Michael for as long as possible. She got the impression that Spencer might secretly be afraid of him.
"We have, but we've been hanging out as friends. Just friends, Spencer." Carly reiterated.
"And after tonight?" Spencer pressed.
"We'll see."
"I just want you to be sure."
"Maybe I am this time." Carly responded somewhat coolly.
She instantly felt guilty when Spencer began running a nervous hand through his shaggy brown hair.
"I'm sorry, Spencer. I know you're just trying to look out for me and I appreciate it. But it's gonna be ok. This time around is a lot different than Freddie's incident with the taco truck. This time, I know I'd do the same for him in a heartbeat." Carly answered in a steady voice, fixing her older brother with an unwavering gaze.
Spencer stared back at Carly for a few seconds. He finally relaxed his stance when he realised that Carly meant what she said.
"Well, technically, you did kinda do the same thing for him on the stairs when you pushed Sam out of the way. Of course, he still got hurt, but you get what I mean." Spencer declared soberly.
"Yeah, I do." Carly replied with a small smile on her face.
"I'm proud of you, kiddo."
"Thanks, Spencer. That means a lot."
"Good. Well, you'd better get going – I don't want you to be late for your date-thing…whatever." Spencer greeted in a nonchalant manner.
Carly moved towards Spencer and hugged him tightly.
"I'll try not to be out too late." She teased lightly, her head resting against his shoulder.
"Ok. Don't do anything I wouldn't do. If I'm not around when you get back later, I'll probably be chilling out with Socko."
"Not at the bottom of a man-hole, I hope?" Carly questioned in a teasing manner.
"N-o! I don't always have to do things with Socko that involve me losing my pants." Spencer retorted indignantly.
"I sincerely hope not." Carly replied with a smirk on her face.
"Alright, scat! Have fun!" Spencer greeted playfully with a dismissive wave.
"I will. Have fun with your pants on!" Carly greeted before skipping cheerily towards the front door, her stomach fluttering with something akin to butterflies.
After showering and changing into some clean clothes (a comfortable pair of black jeans, a cotton dark blue short-sleeved polo shirt and a pair of black Converse high-tops), Freddie began getting everything ready for his night with Carly. He had prepared the food before showering and once he had finished, he had asked gotten some patio furniture from the basement to put up on the roof of Bushwell Plaza. The chairs had been easy to handle, but the patio table was quite heavy. Not that Freddie felt it at all, lifting it as if it were a feather as he took it in the elevator with him up to the roof. Marissa had watched with concern as Freddie walked casually back through the apartment to make sure that he hadn't left anything behind.
"Freddie, are you sure you should be carrying patio furniture up to the roof? That table is pretty heavy," Marissa noted uneasily.
"I'm fine, Mom. It barely weighed a thing." Freddie answered patiently, wiping his hands on his jeans while looking about him.
Then someone began knocking on the front door and the two of them glanced momentarily at each other. Freddie cleared his throat and moved to open the door. His smile brightened to about 150 kilowatts when he saw that Carly was standing on the other side.
"Hi, Carly!" Freddie greeted brightly without hesitation.
"Hi, Freddie," Carly greeted back with just as much enthusiasm in her voice.
She looked over Freddie's shoulder and saw Mrs. Benson standing near the kitchen table, watching the two of them closely.
"Hi, Mrs. Benson." She greeted politely.
"Hello, Carly." Marissa greeted back stiffly.
"Ok. Well, we should head up to the roof, Carls. I'll see you later, Mom." Freddie intercepted smoothly with forced nonchalance.
"Freddie, would you mind giving me and a Carly a moment? There's something I need to say to her." Marissa stated unexpectedly.
"Sure. I'll wait upstairs for you." Freddie answered graciously while giving Carly an encouraging smile.
He didn't like the idea of leaving Carly alone with his mother, given her feelings towards Carly. But he instinctively knew that this was one time where he couldn't intervene. Marissa wasn't nearly as excited about Carly and Freddie bonding as Sam and Spencer were, but she had been tolerant without putting up too much of a fuss, which was more than what Freddie could've expected from her. He closed the front door behind him quietly, leaving Carly and his mother completely alone. Carly tried to ignore the sense of trepidation she felt about having to talk to Mrs. Benson without Freddie there, but it didn't show on her face.
"What did you want to talk to me about, Mrs. Benson?" Carly questioned in a calm voice, even though her heart was hammering in her chest.
Marissa pursed her hands together while staring at Carly with an unfathomable expression on her face.
"You and Freddie have been spending a lot of time together apart from his serving detention." She began in a small voice.
"Yes, we have." Carly confirmed.
"You've even waited for him till very late in the afternoon after most of his detentions."
"Well…he's in there because of me. It was the least I could do."
"I'm sure Freddie's told you by now that I don't exactly approve of all this 'bonding' business."
"It came up," Carly offered in a neutral tone.
"You're probably curious about my misgivings." Marissa declared.
"Not really. I know it's because you still blame me for Freddie getting hit by that taco truck a year ago and because you don't think I'm good enough for him." Carly answered calmly.
Carly's frankness took Marissa by surprise. But she collected herself immediately and continued on with what she had to say.
"It may have been for all those reasons before, but it's more than that, Carly. Once you 'bond' with someone, there's no going back. Your entire future is mapped out for you. And then there are the powers too. You might be able to control them, but you have to constantly make sure that they don't end up controlling you instead." Marissa answered in a stern voice.
"With all due respect, Mrs. Benson, I'm well aware of the risks. It's part of the reason why I tried to avoid all of this with Freddie in the beginning. But I do believe that everything happens for a reason. And whatever happens, you should know that I love your son with all of my heart. There's nothing I wouldn't do for him now. It took me a long time to realise how much I need him in my life. But I know it now, and I won't let him slip away." Carly declared vehemently, her eyes never leaving Marissa's.
"And you'd still feel that way if he suddenly got taken away from you?" Marissa asked in a slow murmur.
A lump rose in Carly's throat and she fought back tears threatening to rise from deep within. But she remained composed while she spoke.
"Even then." She answered truthfully.
"Well, I guess that's all a mother really needs to hear then." Marissa offered a few seconds later.
And then she was moving towards the front door with her overcoat on and her purse slung over her shoulder. She turned back to face Carly and the latter was stunned to see tears swimming in the older woman's eyes.
"Will you promise me something?" Marissa asked.
"Anything." Carly responded in an even voice.
"Take care of him. He's all I have left."
"I will."
"Be careful tonight."
And then Mrs. Benson was gone, walking out of the front door while Carly stood frozen in place at the kitchen table. Then she finally snapped out of her reverie and began walking calmly towards the front door as she made her way into the elevator and up to the roof, where Freddie was waiting for her.
Dinner was a very enjoyable affair for Freddie and Carly. The food in itself wasn't very fancy; a simple fruit salad for starters, spaghetti tacos as a main course and two slices of Gallini's Coconut Cream Pie for dessert with home-made ice tea. Freddie and Carly hardly noticed as they talked and laughed together in-between intervals, discussing things mostly to do with school and iCarly, as well as mild speculation as to what Sam was currently up to with Wendy. For all his talk about the two of them 'just hanging out', Carly couldn't help noticing all the trouble that Freddie had gone to with dinner, including lighting a few scented candles on top of the table while they sat and ate together on the roof.
They only began talking about anything related to their 'bond' after Carly had offered to clear their dinner plates and take them back down to Freddie's apartment and Freddie had put the rest of the food away. Then the two of them grabbed some bottles of Preppy-Cola from the fridge and walked back up to the roof, where they kicked back on deckchairs, just taking in the sights beyond Kennedy Square. Carly leaned back in her deckchair, one of her legs dangling over the edge onto the ground. She scrutinised the full moon for a few minutes while her fingertips danced along the edges of a small round table that Freddie had dragged between the deckchairs, upon which their drinks sat.
"Is it just me, or does the moon look bigger tonight?" she asked speculatively while craning her neck to look at Freddie.
"Maybe it looks bigger because we're closer to it." Freddie answered with a wink.
"I'm serious, Freddie. Do you think the supernatural affects the elements at all?" Carly asked in a serious voice.
Freddie placed one hand behind his head while he thought it over.
"I'm not sure really. But after everything we've learnt about the 'bond', I guess we can't rule it out." He relented in a reasonable manner.
"I guess so. Why are we out here again?" Carly asked blankly after a few seconds of comfortable silence.
Freddie was distracted for a second or two by what Carly was doing beside him. Whether she was doing it consciously or otherwise, he couldn't tell. But Carly's fingers were just inches away from her own bottle of Preppy Cola. And she was making the glass bottle levitate a centimetre or two above the glass table. She wasn't even looking at the bottle – was she doing it with her mind? Freddie tore his eyes away from the sight and focused on answering her question instead.
"I told you earlier, there's supposed to be a shooting star coming tonight. I did some research and we should be able to see it from this vantage point on the roof."
"Ok, but when's it gonna come?"
"I don't know exactly – soonish."
"Soonish?"
"Ok, really soon."
"You don't know when it's coming, do you?"
"Not precisely. But I estimate that it should come within the next 15 minutes."
"15 minutes! What are we gonna do till it comes?" Carly asked laughingly, sitting up to look at Freddie.
Freddie's eyes flickered back towards the small table. Sure enough, Carly had begun levitating the glass bottle higher and higher without realising it. A sudden thought entered his mind and a wide grin appeared on his face when the bottle silently floated soundlessly back down onto the table again.
"I've got an idea."
Carly raised a questioning eyebrow when Freddie gently took her by the hand, lifting her off the deckchair and back onto her feet. Then he slowly led her out into the middle of the flat rooftop where the moon shone the brightest, their fingers laced together.
"Aww, why'd ya make me get up? I was really comfortable." Carly pouted with a wistful glance in the direction of the deckchairs.
"Because…I know how we can pass the time till the shooting star passes by." Freddie replied.
"How?" Carly questioned curiously.
"Dance with me, Carly."
Carly raised yet another questioning eyebrow while she stared back at Freddie.
"How are we gonna dance without music?"
"I can fix that."
Freddie let go of Carly's hand (albeit it regretfully) and jogged towards the door which led back down to the emergency stairwell, where he had left his backpack. He unzipped the bag and produced his iPod as well as his trusty docking station and built-in speakers. Carly giggled as Freddie jogged towards the round table and placed his iPod and dock on top of it. After switching on the docking station and rotating the swivel button on his iPod a few times with his thumb, Freddie was back at Carly's side, slightly out of breath while he held her close and they started swaying together.
"So…how does it feel to finally be done with detention?" Carly asked curiously with her hands resting on Freddie's arms.
She emitted a cry of surprise a second later when Freddie took that moment to spin her around with his hand before bringing her expertly back to his chest, holding her close.
"It feels pretty damn good," Freddie breathed in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.
"I hope Rory hasn't been giving you a hard time while I've been in detention," he added as an afterthought, worry creasing his handsome features.
Freddie blinked when Carly began chuckling lightly.
"You really don't have to worry about that, Freddie. Rory just pretends I'm part of the wall when he walks past me these days, which suits me just fine. As for you though…"
Freddie grimaced slightly at the thought. When Rory had finally left the hospital and returned to school, he felt sure that Rory and the football team would try to get revenge on him somehow. But he had been faintly surprised when Rory had taken one look at him on that first day and sprinted in the opposite direction, followed closely by his team mates who kept throwing Freddie panicked looks over their shoulders. Apparently, the extent of his injuries was still fresh in Rory's mind, along with that of his friends. Both Carly and Freddie had been relieved while Sam had sulked about it, having geared herself up for a fight if necessary.
"Believe me, no one's as surprised as I am," Freddie finished in a thoughtful tone.
"I'm not. You've always tried to protect me in small ways over the years. Everybody else, including Rory, is just finally clued in about it." Carly answered truthfully with a glowing smile on her face, causing Freddie to blush a little at her praise.
As Carly leant in to rest her head on Freddie's shoulders while they swayed together, she stopped short while listening to the song which began playing on the iPod.
"Wait…I know this song. T-Bo played this for us at the Groovy Smoothie after the 'Ladies Choice' dance when we danced together." Carly declared in amazement.
"You have a good memory." Freddie praised while keeping a firm grip on Carly's hand while his other hand rested on her hip.
"I can't believe you still have this song on your iPod after all this time." Carly mused in awe while gazing at Freddie, her hands on his shoulders while they danced together.
Freddie slowed down their movement, staring intently back at Carly.
"It's my favourite night to date. It was the first time that I ever felt there was a chance you could feel the same way I do." He murmured earnestly.
Carly's breath caught in her throat and she struggled to breathe for a few seconds at the way Freddie was looking at her.
"I never gave up on you, Carly. I tried to move on and forget about you, but the truth is…there's never been a time when you didn't have my heart." Freddie added more seriously, his breath coming out in staggering leaps.
Carly, who had been staring doggedly at Freddie's chest while he spoke, finally plucked up the courage to look him dead in the eye, the gentle breeze catching in her hair and making it fly forward across Freddie's cheeks.
"Freddie-"
"I know it's stupid to say it out loud. But I just needed you to hear it once, because I haven't forgotten about it. If anything, these past two months spent with you have made me realise just how strong my feelings really are and-"
"Freddie!"
Freddie stopped babbling and realised that Carly had also tried to get his attention by caressing his cheek gently, a small smile on her face.
"Carly-"
Carly stopped Freddie from saying anything further by pressing her index finger to his lips, keeping him in place for the moment and focused wholly on her.
"I didn't forget either, Freddie."
And then she replaced her finger with her lips, pressing them tenderly against Freddie's to stop any other form of protest from coming out. Protesting was the farthest thing from Freddie's mind when he felt a lightning bolt shoot through his spine, then race back up towards his neck and face, beginning and ending with Carly's lips fused with his. His hands instinctively moved to cup her cheeks as his lips moved steadily with hers.
Carly could feel that familiar pattern of warmth igniting in her bones like scalding blue flames as she pressed her whole body into Freddie's, trembling from head to toe from the feel of his hands caressing her cheeks while he kissed her back. She knew this was dangerous; these feelings alone had the power to change everything she'd known before this moment. And she found that she didn't care at all. She'd wanted this for a whole year now and it had surpassed her all-too vivid imagination. She couldn't breathe, she was getting dizzy, she was free-falling, she was floating –
Carly's eyes snapped wide open, bright with horror when she realised what was happening. While she had let her brain disappear altogether while Freddie had been kissing her, her body had begun defying all the normal laws of gravity. She and Freddie were floating several inches above the ground, as if they were standing on an invisible platform. Her heart plummeted in her chest and she had already torn her lips free from Freddie's and began gasping in horror for a scream that wouldn't quite come.
"F-Freddie! We're hovering above the ground!" Carly shrieked before tightening her grip on Freddie all the more and burying her face into his chest to keep from looking down.
"Yeah, I can see that."
When she finally pulled her face away from Freddie's chest, she looked up and realised that Freddie didn't look nearly as surprised as he should've been in that particular moment. His eyes were wide; not with fear, but rather with exhilaration.
"Freddie, we're not on the ground anymore! Why aren't you freaking out?" Carly hissed indignantly.
"Because this is seriously the coolest thing ever! And Michael may have told me that something like this might happen…" Freddie trailed off in an abashed tone.
"Something like what might happen? What's going on?" Carly demanded in a high-pitched wail.
"Carly, calm down, everything's fine. It's just that Michael said there was a good chance that if you were ever sufficiently distracted, that you might be able to levitate objects, including your own body." Freddie explained rapidly.
"I know how to levitate?" Carly asked stupidly.
"Apparently you do…" Freddie remarked while gazing down below them.
He fought the urge to start laughing at the panicked expression on Carly's face while he tried another tact.
"You were levitating your Preppy Cola bottle before this, didn't you realise you were doing that?"
"No, I didn't." Carly responded in bewilderment, her eyes flickering towards the round table where the Preppy Cola bottles lay perfectly still.
"Well, you were. Your fingers were almost touching the bottle; the near-contact must've made it start floating in mid-air."
"Wait, so if you knew this beforehand – did you kiss me so that you could prove your little theory?" Carly asked indignantly of Freddie.
"Actually, you kissed me first, Carly." Freddie reminded.
"Oh…right." Carly muttered, blushing profusely as her anger subsided, forgetting for the moment that she and Freddie were still floating above the ground.
She gave a start when Freddie wrapped his arms around her more tightly and stared deep into her eyes.
"Besides, I wouldn't have kissed you for any other reason except because I wanted to." He answered smoothly with a smirk on his face.
A coy smile formed on Carly's face while she looked back at Freddie.
"Well, in that case, why don't we put this theory to the test?" she asked flirtatiously before biting her bottom lip.
Freddie was already one step ahead of Carly when his lips melded with hers. Carly responded in kind, deepening the kiss with a flick of her tongue against Freddie's parted lips, draping her arms around his neck. Freddie kept a firm grip on Carly's back with his muscular arms as they continued floating in mid-air, feeling fairly confident that he would never let her fall under any circumstances.
And somewhere between embracing one another tightly and kissing each other till they were breathless, they missed the shooting star speed right past them. The arched beam of light swept across the indigo sky littered with millions of stars before meeting the huge full moon in a cataclysmic collision, their mutual light mingling for a split second as if they too had bonded. And then it was gone, sweeping across the remaining sky while the moon lingered behind, shining brightly over the roof of Bushwell Plaza where Freddie and Carly stood, afloat in their own splendid cosmos.
Well, that's all from me: positively corny right till the very end. I hope you all enjoyed this final chapter for this story, it's been a pleasure for me to write from beginning to end.
Phantom playlist for baronvonmilo's audio pleasure:
U2 – North Star (unreleased)
Eminem – Space Bound
A special thank you to the following people who reviewed this story:
Boris Yeltsin, Carl Rahl (gets 70% of the royalties), sockstar (the ultimate tent pitcher), PhunkyBrewster (my new favourite Creddie author), Fanfic-Reader-88, Amy788, baronvonmilo (my favourite reviewer overall), Peterpan, CGK0113, Invader Johnny, sweetStarre123, onlythatdaydawns, TwilightForever10, RemDiamond (my cf2ya homie), tiger002 (my Suite Life homeboy), The Earl Of Sandwich (the coolest Seddie fan I've ever met), pink-strawberry-lemonade, poisonivy34, The Blind Sniper, FlyFly, creddie dude, Shealtiel, mrmuscle (it's been too long, bro) and minimaddi.
Carl, a big thank you for letting me write this story for you, it's been real. Now I'm off to work on my project for 'April Script Frenzy'. I'm sure at least 50% of you will enjoy iOMG tomorrow ;) Take it easy and don't forget to sniff the fruit salad. You've been a wonderful crowd, cheers!